Biosynthetic gene clusters identified in cultured and in situ strains of Microcystis reveal high biosynthetic potential for diverse compound production

Microcystis aeruginosa, a bloom-forming cyanobacterium, dominates cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) in freshwater around the world, posing threats to water quality, wildlife, and stability of freshwater ecosystems. M. aeruginosa is known to produce the nitrogenrich hepatotoxin, microcystin, as well as a variety of other toxic secondary metabolites. Here, we use genomic sequencing of our western Lake Erie culture collection and metagenomic sequencing of whole microbial communities from the 2014 western Lake Erie bloom to assess biosynthetic potential through biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) evaluation and compound production in cultured M. aeruginosa strains.