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Whole cell hybridisation for monitoring harmful marine microalgae

  • Molecular tools for monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms
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Abstract

Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) is a powerful molecular biological tool to detect and enumerate harmful microorganism in the marine environment. Different FISH methods are available, and especially in combination with automated counting techniques, the potential for a routine monitoring of harmful marine microalgae is attainable. Various oligonucleotide probes are developed for detecting harmful microalgae. However, FISH-based methods are not yet regularly included in monitoring programmes tracking the presence of harmful marine microalgae. A limitation factor of the FISH technique is the currently available number of suited fluorochromes attached to the FISH probes to detect various harmful species in one environmental sample at a time. However, coupled automated techniques, like flow cytometry or solid-phase cytometry, can facilitate the analysis of numerous field samples and help to overcome this drawback. A great benefit of FISH in contrast to other molecular biological detection methods for harmful marine microalgae is the direct visualisation of the hybridised target cells, which are not permitted in cell free formats, like DNA depending analysis methods. Therefore, an additional validation of the FISH-generated results is simultaneously given.

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Abbreviations

CARD-FISH:

Catalysed reporter deposition–fluorescence in situ hybridisation

FISH:

Fluorescence in situ hybridisation

HAB:

Harmful algal bloom

LSU:

Large subunit

SSU:

Small subunit

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  1. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Kerstin Toebe

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  1. Kerstin Toebe
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Toebe, K. Whole cell hybridisation for monitoring harmful marine microalgae. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 6816–6823 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1416-9

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