Origins Of Toxic Algae (Domoic Acid) Killing Sea Lions, Birds And Dolphins In Southern California

Lately, scientists are observing that the oceans have are taking on additional amounts of carbon dioxide beyond natural levels due to societal use of fossil fuels.

This and rising ocean temperatures mean that domoic acid events are becoming more prevalent, more toxic, and lasting longer than in previous decades. Scripps researchers then used the results of Hutchins’ study to identify the genes responsible for the production of this toxin.

A team led by scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego and the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) has uncovered the genetic basis for the production of domoic acid, a potent neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms.

The study, “Biosynthesis of the neurotoxin domoic acid in a bloom-forming diatom,” was five years in the making. In addition to funding from the National Science Foundation, the research was supported by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Grant number R01ES030316), part of the National Institutes of Health; the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Energy.

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