Biomaterial Database

Toxic peptides from freshwater cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). I. Isolation, purification and characterization of peptides from Microcystis aeruginosa and Anabaena flos-aquae. 1986

T Krishnamurthy, and W W Carmichael, and E W Sarver

Toxic peptides from two European Microcystis aeruginosa and one Canadian Anabaena flos-aquae species of freshwater cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) were purified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and examined by amino acid analysis and mass spectrometry. A toxic fraction from a butanol/methanol extract of toxic lyophilized cells was separated by G-25 gel filtration and purified by HPLC using a C-18 semi-preparative Column. A toxic peak with the same elution time was detected for each of the three toxic cyanobacteria. The desalted purified toxins (i.p. LD50 in mice, 50 micrograms/kg) caused signs of poisoning identical with previous literature reports of hepatotoxic peptides from Microcystis. On hydrolysis and amino acid analysis all three toxins showed a similar profile, consisting of equimolar amounts of glutamic acid, alanine, arginine and leucine. beta-methyl aspartic acid was identified in all of the toxic peptides. The fast atom bombardment mass spectra of the toxins indicated the molecular weight to be 994 for all the peptides. The absence of sequence ions in their corresponding fast atom bombardment mass spectra indicated the peptides to be cyclic.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008387	Marine Toxins	Toxic or poisonous substances elaborated by marine flora or fauna. They include also specific, characterized poisons or toxins for which there is no more specific heading, like those from poisonous FISHES.	Marine Biotoxins,Phycotoxins
D008970	Molecular Weight	The sum of the weight of all the atoms in a molecule.	Molecular Weights,Weight, Molecular,Weights, Molecular
D010455	Peptides	Members of the class of compounds composed of AMINO ACIDS joined together by peptide bonds between adjacent amino acids into linear, branched or cyclical structures. OLIGOPEPTIDES are composed of approximately 2-12 amino acids. Polypeptides are composed of approximately 13 or more amino acids. PROTEINS are considered to be larger versions of peptides that can form into complex structures such as ENZYMES and RECEPTORS.	Peptide,Polypeptide,Polypeptides
D002851	Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid	Liquid chromatographic techniques which feature high inlet pressures, high sensitivity, and high speed.	Chromatography, High Performance Liquid,Chromatography, High Speed Liquid,Chromatography, Liquid, High Pressure,HPLC,High Performance Liquid Chromatography,High-Performance Liquid Chromatography,UPLC,Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography,Chromatography, High-Performance Liquid,High-Performance Liquid Chromatographies,Liquid Chromatography, High-Performance
D000087522	Cyanobacteria Toxins	Toxic secondary metabolites produced CYANOBACTERIA.	Cyanobacterial Neurotoxin,Cyanobacterial Neurotoxins,Cyanobacterial Toxins,Cyanotoxins,Neurotoxin, Cyanobacterial
D000458	Cyanobacteria	A phylum of oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria comprised of unicellular to multicellular bacteria possessing CHLOROPHYLL a and carrying out oxygenic PHOTOSYNTHESIS. Cyanobacteria are the only known organisms capable of fixing both CARBON DIOXIDE (in the presence of light) and NITROGEN. Cell morphology can include nitrogen-fixing heterocysts and/or resting cells called akinetes. Formerly called blue-green algae, cyanobacteria were traditionally treated as ALGAE.	Algae, Blue-Green,Blue-Green Bacteria,Cyanophyceae,Algae, Blue Green,Bacteria, Blue Green,Bacteria, Blue-Green,Blue Green Algae,Blue Green Bacteria,Blue-Green Algae
D000596	Amino Acids	Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-NH2) and a carboxyl (-COOH) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerized to form proteins.	Amino Acid,Acid, Amino,Acids, Amino
D001427	Bacterial Toxins	Toxic substances formed in or elaborated by bacteria; they are usually proteins with high molecular weight and antigenicity; some are used as antibiotics and some to skin test for the presence of or susceptibility to certain diseases.	Bacterial Toxin,Toxins, Bacterial,Toxin, Bacterial
D013058	Mass Spectrometry	An analytical method used in determining the identity of a chemical based on its mass using mass analyzers/mass spectrometers.	Mass Spectroscopy,Spectrometry, Mass,Spectroscopy, Mass,Spectrum Analysis, Mass,Analysis, Mass Spectrum,Mass Spectrum Analysis,Analyses, Mass Spectrum,Mass Spectrum Analyses,Spectrum Analyses, Mass
D046931	Microcystis	A form-genus of CYANOBACTERIA in the order Chroococcales. Many species are planktonic and possess gas vacuoles.	Microcystis aeruginosa