Influence of nitrate and salinity on growth and toxin production of Prymnesium parvum

Fish-killing events caused by haptophyte Prymnesium parvum have been reported in aquatic environments worldwide. This haptophyte could produce diverse prymnesins (PRMs) that harm to aquatic organisms like fishes. In this study, the components of prymnesins in the strain of P. parvum (NMBjih029) isolated from the coast of Ningbo city, China, were elucidated by a high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRMS), and the influence of nitrate levels and salinity on growth and toxin production of P. parvum were also explored. Results showed that the P. parvum produced C-type prymnesins with structure variations in saturation, chlorination, and sugar modifications. The growth and toxin production were significantly affected by nitrate levels in the batch cultures. At the lowest level of nitrate (N:P = 4:1), growth of P. parvum was inhibited but toxin quotas per cell increased up to approximately 4 times of that in control group (N:P = 16:1) during the exponential growth stage. Growth of P. parvum was not obviously affected by different salinities, but the biosynthesis of prymnesins increased with decreasing salinity from 32 to 14 in the culture media. The proportion of high chlorination of prymnesins (tetrachloride) increased in P. parvum under nitrogen limitation stress and low salinity. And the toxin quotas per cell also markedly increased with the extension of culture period in P. parvum under nitrogen limitation and different salinity conditions. This study provides some important cues for toxin profile and environmental impacts on the biosynthesis of prymnesins in the strain of P. parvum isolated from Chinese aquatic environments.