Molecular screening for cyanobacteria and their cyanotoxin potential in diverse habitats : research data underlying the article

Jablonska, Maša (author), Eleršek, Tina (author), Kogovšek, Polona (author), Skok, Sara (author), Oarga-Mulec, Andreea (author), Mulec, Janez (author)

Cyanobacteria are adaptable and dominant organisms that exist in many harsh and extreme environments due to their great ecological tolerance. They produce various secondary metabolites, including cyanotoxins. While cyanobacteria are well studied in surface waters and some aerial habitats, numerous other habitats and niches remain underexplored. We collected 61 samples of: (i) biofilms from springs, (ii) aerial microbial mats from buildings and subaerial mats from caves, and (iii) water from borehole wells, caves, alkaline, saline, sulphidic, thermal, and iron springs, rivers, seas, and melted cave ice from five countries (Croatia, Georgia, Italy, Serbia, and Slovenia). We used (q)PCR to detect cyanobacteria (phycocyanin intergenic spacer—PC-IGS and cyanobacteria-specific 16S rRNA gene) and cyanotoxin genes (microcystins—mcyE, saxitoxins—sxtA, cylindrospermopsins—cyrJ), as well as amplicon sequencing and morphological observations for taxonomic identification. Cyanobacteria were detected in samples from caves, a saline spring, and an alkaline spring. While mcyE or sxtA genes were not observed in any sample, cyrJ results showed the presence of a potential cylindrospermopsin producer in a biofilm from a sulphidic spring in Slovenia. This study contributes to our understanding of cyanobacteria occurrence in diverse habitats, including rare and extreme ones, and provides relevant methodological considerations for future research in such environments.

• Language: English
• Keywords: extreme environments, cylindrospermopsin, sulphidic springs, caves, qPCR, PC-IGS, PCR, DNA sequencing
• Typology: 2.20 - Complete scientific database of research data
• Geographic coverage: Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Temporal coverage: From/Od 2020-06-01 to/do 2022-06-17
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Year: 2026
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-182459
• Data col. methods: Experiment: Laboratory; Compilation; Synthesis
• Publication date in RUL: 18.05.2026

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 12.05.2026

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Pregled cianobakterij in njihovega potenciala za proizvodnjo cianotoksinov v raznolikih habitatih : raziskovalni podatki, obravnavani v članku

Abstract

Cianobakterije so prilagodljivi organizmi, ki jih zaradi njihove velike ekološke tolerance najdemo v številnih negostoljubnih in ekstremnih okoljih. Proizvajajo različne sekundarne metabolite, med drugim tudi cianotoksine. Medtem ko so cianobakterije v celinskih vodah in nekaterih kopenskih življenjskih okoljih dobro poznane, so v številnih drugih habitatih in ekoloških nišah še vedno slabo raziskane. V tej raziskavi smo zbrali 61 vzorcev: (i) biofilmov iz izvirov, (ii) mikrobnih prevlek s površin zgradb in iz jam ter (iii) vode iz vrtin, jam, alkalnih, slanih, žveplenih, termalnih in železovih izvirov, rek, morja in jamskega ledu iz petih držav (Hrvaška, Gruzija, Italija, Srbija in Slovenija). Uporabili smo (q)PCR za zaznavanje cianobakterij (fikocianinska medgenska regija PC-IGS in za cianobakterije specifičen gen 16S rRNA) in genov za proizvodnjo cianotoksinov (mikrocistinov – mcyE, saksitoksinov – sxtA, cilindrospermopsinov – cyrJ) ter sekvenciranje amplikonov in morfološko analizo za taksonomsko določevanje cianobakterij. Cianobakterije smo zaznali v vzorcih iz jam in dveh izvirov, slanega ter alkalnega. Genov mcyE ali sxtA nismo opazili v nobenem vzorcu, zaznali pa smo prisotnost potencialnega proizvajalca cilindrospermopsina v biofilmu iz žveplenega izvira v Sloveniji. Ta raziskava prispeva k našemu razumevanju pojavljanja cianobakterij v raznolikih habitatih, vključno z redkimi in ekstremnimi okolji, in izpostavlja nekatere pomembne metodološke izzive za prihodnje raziskave v takih okoljih.

• Keywords: ekstremna okolja, cilindrospermopsin, žvepleni izvir, jame, qPCR, PC-IGS, PCR, sekvenciranje DNA