000007491 001__ 7491
000007491 005__ 20231129124941.0
000007491 0247_ $$2DOI$$a10.6083/zw12z5859
000007491 037__ $$aETD
000007491 245__ $$aThe ecophysiological drivers of production and cellular function of the neurotoxin β-N-Methylamino-L-Alanine in buoyant freshwater cyanobacteria
000007491 260__ $$bOregon Health and Science University
000007491 269__ $$a2019
000007491 336__ $$aDissertation
000007491 502__ $$bPh.D.
000007491 520__ $$aIn recent decades, cyanobacteria-dominated Harmful Algal Blooms (cyanoHABs) have increased in regularity and persistence, leading to increased concerns over water quality and human health. The buoyant cyanobacteria that form cyanoHABs are the main producers of cyanobacterial toxins (cyanotoxins), and the biochemical role of the well-documented cyanotoxins (e.g., microcystin and saxitoxin) is a focus of ongoing research, as identifying function is a prerequisite to enumerating the ecological drivers of toxin production. The atypical amino acid,  β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), diverges from other cyanotoxins in that it lacks acute toxicity, and as such, has received comparatively less attention from scientists and regulatory agencies. However, mounting evidence suggests that environmental and food web exposure to BMAA is causal to the increased incidence of a histopathologically distinct form of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and/or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/Parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC) observed in multiple geographically isolated populations. As BMAA is the only cyanotoxin thus far detected in axenic cultures of representative species from all five cyanobacteria "Orders," the compound may play a fundamental role within the canonical cyanobacterial metabolon, warranting investigation into its metabolic function. To date, conclusive evidence of an ecological function, biosynthetic pathway, or environmental driver of production has not been presented for BMAA.
000007491 542__ $$fIn copyright - single owner
000007491 650__ $$aCyanobacteria$$014431
000007491 650__ $$aEcotoxicology$$038010
000007491 6531_ $$abioanalytical chemistry
000007491 6531_ $$astructural biology
000007491 6531_ $$aharmful algal blooms
000007491 6531_ $$ametabolic regulation
000007491 691__ $$aSchool of Medicine$$041369
000007491 692__ $$aDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology$$041396
000007491 7001_ $$aDyer, Stuart W.
000007491 8564_ $$93cdc840e-07f6-496b-aa61-2467797091a2$$s5507501$$uhttps://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/7491/files/dyer.stuart.2019.pdf
000007491 905__ $$a/rest/prod/zw/12/z5/85/zw12z5859
000007491 909CO $$ooai:digitalcollections.ohsu.edu:7491$$pstudent-work
000007491 980__ $$aTheses and Dissertations