New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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FITC-conjugated lectins as a tool for differentiating between toxic and non-toxic marine dinoflagellates

LESLEY L. RHODES
ALLISON J. HAYWOOD

Cawthron Institute
Private Bag 2
Nelson, New Zealand

DAVID W. FOUNTAIN

Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology
Massey University. Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract  FITC-conjugated lectins proved to be effective probes for differentiating between morphologically similar dinoflagellate species isolated from New Zealand coastal waters. In particular the binding (fluorescence) of peanut (PNA) lectin differentiated G. mikimotoi from Gymnodinium sp. (Waimangu) and G. pulchellum and the non-binding of Helix pomatia (HPA) and wheat germ (WGA) lectins discriminated between G. mikimotoi and the other Gymnodinium species tested. G. breve (Florida) was differentiated from the New Zealand isolates by binding with soy bean (SBA) lectin. Ulex europeus (UEA) distinguished the toxic species Alexandrium minutum from the morphologically similar, but non-toxic, Cachonina hallii. Two strains of Prorocentrum lima (Spain and Rangaunu) were not differentiated by the lectins, but P. lima was differentiated from P. compressum.

Keywords  fluorescent probes; microalgae; phytoplankton; Gymnodinium; Alexandrium; Prorocentrum; lectins

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1995, Vol. 29: 359-365

0028-8330/95/2903-0359 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1995

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (730K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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