Uncovering the regulation effect of modified clay on toxin production in Alexandrium pacificum: From physiological insights

Abstract

As a common dinoflagellate, Alexandrium pacificum can produce paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs). It can be removed from water by Polyaluminium chloride modified clay (PAC-MC), but it is unclear whether PAC-MC can prevent PSTs content and toxicity from increasing and whether PAC-MC can stimulate PSTs biosynthesis by A. pacificum. Effect of PAC-MC on PSTs and the physiological mechanism were analysed here. The results showed total PSTs content and toxicity decreased respectively by 34.10 % and 48.59 % in 0.2 g/L PAC-MC group at 12 days compared with control group. And the restriction of total PSTs by PAC-MC was mainly achieved via inhibition of algal cell proliferation, by affecting A. pacificum physiological processes and changing phycosphere microbial community. Meanwhile, single-cell PSTs toxicity did not increase significantly throughout the experiment. Moreover, A. pacificum treated with PAC-MC tended to synthesize sulfated PSTs such as C1&2. Mechanistic analysis showed that PAC-MC induced upregulation of sulfotransferase sxtN (related to PSTs sulfation), and functional prediction of bacterial community also showed significant enrichment of “sulfur relay system” after PAC-MC treatment, which might also promote PSTs sulfation. The results will provide theoretical guidance for the application of PAC-MC to field control of toxic Alexandrium blooms.