| Rainer Kurmayer | |||||||||
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+43 6232 3125-32 |
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2007 – present: Senior scientist at the Institute for Limnology in Mondsee, Lecturer at the University of Vienna, Faculty of Life Sciences (University Docent) |
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| Workshop | |||||||||
We are happy to announce a mutagenisation workshop on the toxigenic cyanobacterium Planktothrix, which is one of the more abundant harmful algal species in freshwater. Since more and more genome information on this particular genus gets available we plan to offer a training on our favorite genetic mutagenisation technique that would allow to inactivate particular genes involved in toxic (bioactive) peptide production. "The workshop has been performed with 12 participants from 11 countries. The summary report has been sent to the applicants (PDF dazu). We thank all our participants for the interest into this topic and look forward to a continuing cooperation." PDF-woshop-report |
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| Research | |||||||||
Cyanobacteria occur frequently in freshwater and show an impressive diversity in the production of small bioactive peptides, i.e. the microcystins and related molecules. Many of these compounds are produced by thiotemplate mechanism underlying the non-ribosomal peptide synthesis pathway. It is the aim to understand the processes influencing the evolution of these complex synthesis pathways and to elucidate the mechanisms that contribute to the molecular diversity that is observed in our lakes. By linking molecular insights with ecological research, the time scales and mechanisms relevant to changes in the synthesis of secondary metabolites can be studied both on a molecular level and on the level of populations. The understanding of the (micro) evolution of the genes involved in the synthesis of bioactive metabolites is also relevant to solve problems with water resources deteriorated by toxic cyanobacteria. |
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| Staff | |||||||||
Lieselotte Eisl (Technical assistant) Anneliese Wiedlroither (Technical assistant) Johann Knoll (Technical assistant) Veronika Ostermaier (PhD student, DOC-FORTE fellowship) Nadja Straubinger (PhD student, EU project BOMOSA, http://bomosa.oeaw.ac.at ) Philipp Trummer (PhD student, Project RADICAL) Stephan Blank (PhD student) |
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| Projects | |||||||||
“Genotype determined toxin content in cyanobacteria”, funded by the Austrian Science Fund, P20231, www.fwf.at , July 2008 – June 2011 “Natural products from cyanobacteria”, funded by Cyano Biotech GmbH, Chausseestr. 117, D-10115 Berlin, www.cyano-biotech.com “DEcadal deTECTion of biodIVErsity in alpine lakes, DETECTIVE - Global warming threatens biodiversity in (ultra)-sensitive Alpine lakes: an assessment of past, present and future scenarios" funded by the Alpine Research Programme of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Dec 2009 - Dec 2012), National and International Research Programme. Finished projects “Linking Cyanotoxin production to genetic diversity” funded by the Austrian Science Fund P15709, www.fwf.ac.at , finished "Microevolution of toxin synthesis in cyanobacteria" funded by the Austrian Science Fund P18185, www.fwf.ac.at , finished “Use of cyanobacteria for the production of ethanol”, funded by Cyano BioFuels, Magnusstrasse 11, D-12489 Berlin, www.cyano-biofuels.com/, finished “Toxic and other bioactive PEPtides in Cyanobacteria” (PEPCY), funded by the European Community, QLK4-CT-2002-02634, finished, www.pepcy.de , Link to Final report. PDF (FINAL report PEPCY) As a deliverable for the PEPCY project “A manual on the use of genetic techniques to quantify genotypes of cyanobacteria in freshwater” has been compiled. Link to manual. PDF |
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| Teaching | |||||||||
Lectures and practica Skriptum: Ökologie und Physiologie von Cyanobakterien (Teile 1-7), (PDF dazu). Vorbesprechung, Skriptum: “Cyanobakterien-Wen kümmerts” PDF Summary Diploma theses |
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| Publications | |||||||||
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Christiansen, G., Yoshida W.Y., Blom, J., Portmann, C., Gademann, KG., Hemscheidt, T., and Kurmayer, R. (2008): Isolation and structure determination of two microcystins and sequence comparisons of McyABC adenylation domains in Planktothrix species. Journal of Natural Products 71:1881-1886. PDF Supplement Christiansen G., Molitor C., Philmus B., and Kurmayer R. (2008): Non-toxic strains of cyanobacteria are the result of major gene deletion events induced by a transposable element. Molecular Biology and Evolution 25:1695-1704 Link 2007 Naselli-Flores, L., Barone, R., Chorus, I., and Kurmayer, R. (2007): Toxic cyanobacterial blooms under a semiarid mediterranean climate: The magnification of a problem. Environmental Toxicology 22:399-404. PDF Ishida K., Christiansen G., Yoshida WY., Kurmayer R., Welker , Bonjoch J., Hertweck C., Börner T., Hemscheidt T., and Dittmann E. (2007): Biosynthetic pathway and structure analysis of aeruginoside 126A and B, cyanobacterial peptide glycosides bearing an unusual 2-carboxy-6-hydroxyoctahydroindole moiety. Chemistry and Biology 14: 565-576. Links to PDF's (Ishida et al. 2007), (preface Ishida et al. 2007) Schober E., Werndl M., Laakso K., Korschineck I., Sivonen K., and Kurmayer R. (2007): Interlaboratory comparison of Taq Nuclease Assays for the quantification of the toxic cyanobacteria Microcystis sp. Journal of Microbiological Methods 69: 122-128. PDF 2006 Kurmayer R. and Gumpenberger M. (2006): Diversity of microcystin genotypes among populations of the filamentous cyanobacteria Planktothrix rubescens and Planktothrix agardhii. Molecular Ecology 15: 3849-3861. PDF Schober E. and Kurmayer R. (2006): Evaluation of different DNA sampling techniques for the application of the real-time PCR method for the quantification of cyanobacteria in water. Letters in Applied Microbiology 42: 412-417. PDF Christiansen G., Kurmayer R., Liu Q., and Börner T. (2006): Transposons inactivate the biosynthesis of the nonribosomal peptide microcystin in naturally occurring Planktothrix spp. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 72: 117-123. PDF, Cover 2005 Sekadende BC., Lyimo T. J., and Kurmayer R. (2005): Microcystin production by cyanobacteria in the Mwanza Gulf (Lake Victoria, Tanzania). Hydrobiologia 543: 299-304. PDF Kurmayer R., Christiansen G., Gumpenberger M., and Fastner J. (2005): Genetic identification of microcystin ecotypes in toxic cyanobacteria of the genus Planktothrix . Microbiology 151: 1525-1533. PDF 2004 Via-Ordorika L., Fastner J., Kurmayer R., Hisbergues M., Dittmann E., Komarek J., Erhard M., and Chorus I. (2004): Distribution of microcystin-producing and non-microcystin-producing Microcystis sp. in European freshwater bodies: detection of microcystins and microcystin genes in individual colonies. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 27: 592-603. PDF Kurmayer R., Christiansen G., Fastner J., and Börner T. (2004): Abundance of active and inactive microcystin genotypes in populations of the toxic cyanobacterium Planktothrix spp. Environmental Microbiology 6: 831-841. PDF, Cover 2003 Kurmayer R. and Kutzenberger T. (2003): Application of real-time PCR for the quantification of microcystin genotypes in a population of the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis sp. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 69:6723-6730. PDF Kurmayer R., Christiansen G., and Chorus I. (2003): The abundance of microcystin-producing genotypes correlates positively with colony size in Microcystis and determines its microcystin net production in Lake Wannsee. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 69/2: 787-795. PDF 2002 Kurmayer R., Dittmann E., Fastner J.and Chorus I. (2002): Diversity of microcystin genes within a population of the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis spp. in Lake Wannsee (Berlin, Germany). Microbial Ecology 43: 107-118. PDF 2001 Kurmayer R. (2001): Competitive ability of Daphnia under dominance of non-toxic filamentous cyanobacteria, M. Boersma & K. Wiltshire (eds.): Proceedings of the V symposium on cladocera in Plön (Germany), Hydrobiologia 442: 279-289. PDF 2000 Kurmayer R. (2000): Nutritive vs. interfering effects of Anabaena sp. on Daphnia and Ceriodaphnia. Verh. Int. Ver. Limnol. 27: 3001-3005. 1999 Kurmayer R., and Jüttner F. (1999): Strategies for the coexistence of zooplankton with the toxic cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens in Lake Zürich. J. Plankt. Res., 21, 659-683. PDF Popular scientific contributions Kurmayer, R. (2006): Bedingungen und Steuerung der Toxinproduktion bei Cyanobakterien – aktueller Stand der Forschung. In: Toxinbildende Cyanobakterien (Blaualgen) in bayrischen Gewässern. Materalienband Nr. 125, Bayrisches Landesamt für Umwelt, pp. 116-143. Link to PDF (Bayr. Landesamt Bericht) Kurmayer R. (2005): Dreckige Gewinner. Team vom Mondsee erforscht die Karriere von Blaualgen. Universum April 2005, No4: 91. PDF ORF Science Channel, Young Science, http://science.orf.at/science/news/45445 - http://science.orf.at/science/news/96757 Editorial Board Fundamental and Applied Limnology (http://www.schweizerbart.de/j/archiv-hydrobiologie) |
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Risk Analysis of Direct and Indirect Climate effects on deep Austrian Lake Ecosystems (
