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Chemical and genetic differences between Hawaiian lineages of the alga Asparagopsis taxiformis

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Abstract

Asparagopsis taxiformis is a widely distributed red alga, known locally in Hawai‘i as limu kohu. Over the past decade, it was discovered that A. taxiformis is a multiphyletic species, with analysis of mitochondrial DNA revealing several genetically distinct lineages present around the world. A. taxiformis samples from around O‘ahu, belonging to the three different lineages found in Hawaiian waters, were collected and subjected to parallel genetic and chemical profiling. Sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene clearly separated the three lineages. In parallel, GC-MS profiling of the samples was conducted in order to determine whether there were any accompanying chemical differences. Analysis of the metabolite profiles using a range of multivariate statistical techniques showed that lineage 4 could be readily differentiated from the other two lineages, lineage 1 and lineage 2, by its chemical profile. Several halogenated metabolites characteristic of lineage 4 were also identified, including methyl bromoiodoacetate, methyl tribromoacetate, carbon tetrabromide, and dibromoacetone.

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Acknowledgments

This project is supported in part by the NSF Hawai‘i EPSCoR Program under National Science Foundation Award EPS-0903833 and by the College of Pharmacy, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Health Science Platform, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People’s Republic of China

    Benjamin R. Clark & Robert P. Borris

  2. Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA

    Benjamin R. Clark & Robert P. Borris

  3. Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA

    Mindy Mizobe & Jo-Ann Leong

  4. Kako’o ʻOiwi, 46-005 Kawa Street, no. 104, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA

    Jerry L. M. Kaluhiwa

Authors
  1. Benjamin R. Clark
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  2. Mindy Mizobe
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  3. Jerry L. M. Kaluhiwa
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  4. Jo-Ann Leong
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  5. Robert P. Borris
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert P. Borris.

Additional information

Jerry L. M. Kaluhiwa died before publication of this work was completed.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

Included as supporting information are tables with additional data on sample collection locations and on the MS data of metabolites, a figure illustrating collection locations, a figure illustrating the characteristic differences between the three lineages found in Hawai‘i, and a heatmap analysis showing clustering of both samples and compounds. (PDF 817 kb)

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Clark, B.R., Mizobe, M., Kaluhiwa, J.L.M. et al. Chemical and genetic differences between Hawaiian lineages of the alga Asparagopsis taxiformis. J Appl Phycol 30, 2549–2559 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-018-1474-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-018-1474-6

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