Cyanobacteria and their toxins in lichen symbiosis

Lichens are symbiotic associations between a fungus (mycobiont) and a photosynthetic partner (photobiont) which may be a green alga or cyanobacterium (cyanobiont). In lichen symbiosis the mycobiont lives on sugars photosynthesized by the photobiont and, in cyanobacterial symbiosis, also nitrogen compounds are provided to the fungal host. Several cyanobacterial genera are known to associate with lichen forming fungi but by far the most common cyanobacterial genus in lichen symbioses is Nostoc. Lichen-symbiotic Nostoc is a diverse group including at least two distinct phylogenetic lineages which tend to associate with different groups of lichen mycobionts. Microcystins and nodularins are small, cyclic, hepatotoxic peptides responsible for poisonings of humans and animals. They are produced by aquatic, bloom forming cyanobacteria of several different genera and found in fresh and brackish waters around the world. The previously known microcystin producers of the genus Nostoc include the lichen associated cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. IO-102-I isolated from Finland, and some aquatic strains from Brazil, Finland, and India. While all producers of nodularin were previously thought to belong to the genus Nodularia, it has recently been shown that also some Nostoc strains isolated from cycad roots can produce nodularin. The aim of this study was to find out which cyanobacterial toxins are produced in lichen symbiosis and how widespread this production is, both from the geographical and lichen-symbiotic perspective. In addition I wanted to broaden the knowledge on lichen-symbiotic cyanobacteria and symbiont selectivity in lichen symbiosis. The study was based on the analysis of over 800 cyanolichen specimens collected from different parts of the world, mainly analysed with molecular biological methods and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results show that hepatotoxic microcystins are produced in situ in lichen symbioses by symbiotic cyanobacteria, and that these compounds are produced quite commonly in many different lichen genera all around the world. Also nodularin is produced in some lichens. The cyanobacterial toxins may act as grazing deterrents and provide some protection to the thallus. However the actual consequences to grazers and the faith of the toxins in the food chain remain unknown. The chemical and genetic diversity of microcystin production in lichens was remarkable. The evolution of this diversity may be related to genetic bottlenecks that commonly occur during the lifecycle of symbiotically dispersing cyanobacteria and the concurrent close association with the fungal hosts. The presently known distribution of toxin-producing cyanobacteria in lichens was found to concentrate into certain taxonomic groups within the Lobariaceae, Nephromataceae, and Peltigeraceae (Peltigerales, Ascomycota). The diversity of microcystin structures correlated with the genetic identity of Nostoc symbionts in different lichens, but also geographical patterns seemed to exist. Symbiont selection in the lichen genus Nephroma was found to be more specific locally than globally, and the identity of the cyanobiont to differ between biand tripartite members of the genus.