A grant has been awarded to Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc., under the direction of Dr. Gerald F. Plumley for a project to use high-throughput DNA sequencing to study the genes responsible for the production of saxitoxin, a compound produced by microalgae that is responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning. Saxitoxin is produced by several freshwater cyanobacteria, or blue green algae, and by several eukaryotic phytoplankton called dinoflagellates. It is hypothesized that the same genes in these very different groups of algae are involved in the synthesis of the toxin. The researchers will sequence the entire genomes of the cyanobacteria, as well as the set of genes involved in protein production in the dinoflagellates. By comparing the genetic data sets the researchers hope to pinpoint which genes are involved in the synthesis of this toxin. The research should prove valuable to others interested in monitoring the seasonally produced toxins that render shellfish toxic. The research group will involve undergraduate and graduate students in the project, and the data will be used in courses in bioinformatics and genomics.
