Hélène Hégaret

French National Centre for Scientific Research, Plouzané, France · LEMAR UMR 6539, Laboratoire des Sciences et de l'Environnement Marin, Plouzané, France

Domoic acid (DA) is a dangerous phycotoxin produced by several strains of diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia, and responsible for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) in humans. The increasingly intense ASP-outbreaks along the English Channel over the last three decades have forced persistent harvest closures of economically important and highly co...

Domoic acid (DA) is a potent neurotoxin produced by diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia and is responsible for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) in humans. Some fishery resources of high commercial value, such as the king scallop Pecten maximus, are frequently exposed to toxic Pseudo-nitzschia blooms and are capable of accumulating high amounts o...

Despite the deleterious effects of the phycotoxin domoic acid (DA) on human health and the permanent threat of blooms of the toxic Pseudo-nitzschia sp. over commercially important fishery-resources, knowledge regarding the physiological mechanisms behind the profound differences in accumulation and depuration of this toxin in contaminated invertebr...

Domoic acid (DA) is a potent neurotoxin produced by worldwide distributed diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzchia (PSN) and is responsible for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) in humans. King scallop Pecten maximus, a bivalve species of high commercial interest, is regularly subjected to blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia sp., thus accumulating and retaining...

In the open ocean and particularly in iron (Fe)-limited environment, copper (Cu) deficiency might limit the growth of phytoplankton species. Cu is an essential trace metal used in electron-transfer reactions, such as respiration and photosynthesis, when bound to specific enzymes. Some phytoplankton species, such as the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia spp....

Toxic species of the dinoflagellate genus Dinophysis can produce diarrheic toxins including okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxins (DTXs), and the non-diarrheic pectenotoxins (PTXs). Okadaic acid and DTXs cause diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) in human consumers, and also cause cytotoxic, immunotoxic and genotoxic effects in a variety of mollusk...

Hemocytes are the circulating cells of the hemolymph of oysters and are responsible for numerous physiological functions, including immune defense. The oyster Crassostrea gasar is a native species inhabiting mangrove habitat and is of great commercial interest, cultured throughout the Brazilian coast, mainly in the north and northeast. Despite its...

Dinoflagellates of the genus Alexandrium are responsible for harmful algal blooms and produce paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs). Their very large and complex genomes make it challenging to identify the genes responsible for toxin synthesis. A family-based genomic association study was developed to determine the inheritance of toxin production in Al...

The king scallop, Pecten maximus is a highly valuable seafood in Europe. Over the last few years, its culture has been threatened by toxic microalgae during harmful algal blooms, inducing public health concerns. Indeed, phycotoxins accumulated in bivalves can be harmful for human, especially paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) synthesized by the micro...

Ichthyotoxic microalgal blooms have occasionally affected the French coasts during the last decades, causing marine fauna mortalities. A previous study by Nézan et al. (2014) in France highlighted the high diversity of Kareniaceae. This family of dinoflagellates includes several ichthyotoxic species, such as Karlodinium species, which are regularly...

Among Pseudo-nitzschia species, some produce the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA), a source of serious health problems for marine organisms. Filter-feeding organisms—e.g., bivalves feeding on toxigenic Pseudo-nitzschia spp.—are the main vector of DA in humans. However, little is known about the interactions between bivalves and Pseudo-nitzschia. In this...

Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) may bio-accumulate high levels of paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) during harmful algal blooms of the genus Alexandrium. These blooms regularly occur in coastal waters, affecting oyster health and marketability. The aim of our study was to analyse the PST-sensitivity of nerves of Pacific oysters in relation with...

Dinoflagellates from the globally distributed genus Alexandrium are known to produce both paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) and uncharacterized bioactive extracellular compounds (BEC) with allelopathic, ichthyotoxic, hemolytic and cytotoxic activities. In France, blooms of Alexandrium minutum appear generally during the spawning period of most bival...

Oyster production in Brazil has been highlighted as an important economic activity and is directly impacted by the quality of the environment, which is largely the result of human interference and climate change. Harmful algal blooms occur in aquatic ecosystems worldwide, including coastal marine environments which have been increasing over the las...

Original Article Effect of a short-term salinity stress on the growth, biovolume, toxins, osmolytes and metabolite profiles on three strains of the Dinophysis acuminata-complex (Dinophysis cf. sacculus) A B S T R A C T Dinophysis is the main dinoflagellate genus responsible for diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) in human consumers of filter feedin...

Allelopathy is an efficient strategy by which some microalgae can outcompete other species. Allelochemicals from the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum have deleterious effects on diatoms, inhibiting metabolism and photosynthesis and therefore give a competitive advantage to the dinoflagellate. The precise mechanisms of allelochemical interac...

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) of toxic species of the dinoflagellate genus Dinophysis are a threat to human health as they are mainly responsible for diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) in the consumers of contaminated shellfish. Such contamination leads to shellfish farm closures causing major economic and social issues. The direct effects of numero...

Bivalves were long thought to be “symptomless carriers” of marine microalgal toxins to human seafood consumers. In the past three decades, science has come to recognize that harmful algae and their toxins can be harmful to grazers, including bivalves. Indeed, studies have shown conclusively that some microalgal toxins function as active grazing det...

The cryptophyte Teleaulax amphioxeia is a source of plastids for the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum and both organisms are members of the trophic chain of several species of Dinophysis. It is important to better understand the ecology of organisms at the first trophic levels before assessing the impact of principal factors of global change on Dinophysis...

The dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium comprises species that produce highly potent neurotoxins known as paralytic shellfish toxins (PST), and bioactive extracellular compounds (BEC) of unknown structure and ecological significance. The toxic bloom-forming species, Alexandrium minutum, is distributed worldwide and adversely affects many bivalves incl...

Case study for Western (Brazil) and Eastern (Cape Verde, Senegal) tropical Atlantic countries, information on marine and coastal natural resources and their use and exploitation status

Besides from the well-known intracellular “paralytic shellfish toxins (PST)”, A. minutum produces uncharacterized exudates which have been implicated in ichtyotoxic, hemolytic and allelochemical activities, but the nature of these extracellular toxins remain unknown. The aim of the Phycotox GDR project ALAsKA was to verify that candidate A. minutum...

The dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum produces toxic compounds, including paralytic shellfish toxins, but also some unknown extracellular toxins. Although copper (Cu) is an essential element, it can impair microalgal physiology and increase their toxic potency. This study investigated the effect of different concentrations of dissolved Cu (7 nM, 7...

Disseminated neoplasia (DN) is a disease that affects bivalves worldwide and can lead to mass mortalities. In the present study, a pathological survey conducted from December 2011 to August 2012 in Crassostrea gasar, an oyster of commercial interest in northeast Brazil, revealed the occurrence of DN in oysters reared in the Mamanguape estuary, Para...

Harmful algal blooms are a threat to aquatic organisms and coastal ecosystems. Among harmful species, the widespread distributed genus Alexandrium is of global importance. This genus is well-known for the synthesis of paralytic shellfish toxins which are toxic for humans through the consumption of contaminated shellfish. While the effects of Alexan...

Global change is modifying coastal ecosystems and has an impact on human health and sustainability of sectors including aquaculture, fisheries and tourism. The ERA-Net project Co-development of Climate services for adaptation to changing Marine Ecosystems (CoCliME) aims at bringing together scientific knowledge with industrial end users and public...

Allelochemical interactions are likely to be a contributing factor explaining the success of large blooms of the harmful marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium, however, the physiological mechanisms of allelochemical interactions remain poorly described. Here we investigated the sub-lethal effects (on an hourly scale) of a filtrate containing allelochem...

As other filter-feeders, Crassostrea gigas can concentrate paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) by consuming dinoflagellate phytoplankton species like Alexandrium minutum. Intake of PST in oyster tissues mainly results from feeding processes, i.e. clearance rate, pre-ingestive sorting and ingestion that are directly influenced by environmental conditio...

Abstract Harmful microalgal blooms are a threat to aquatic organisms, ecosystems and human health. Toxic dinoflagellates of the genus Alexandrium are known to produce paralytic shellfish toxins and to release bioactive extracellular compounds (BECs) with potent cytotoxic, hemolytic, ichtyotoxic and allelopathic activity. Negative allelochemical int...

Shrimp farm effluents are one of the principal causes of eutrophication in coastal environments. Integrated processes of bioremediation involving the culturing of purifying organisms have been suggested, but very few studies have focused on microalgae. For that purpose evaluated the growth potential of Amphora sp. in the residual waters of shrimp f...

Coastal marine ecosystems are subjected to environmental changes related to human activities and climate change. Harmful algal blooms (HAB) are considered a major threat to marine coastal areas due to the wide range of impacts they have on the ecology of coastal marine ecosystems. There are several shellfish‐mediated intoxications involved in human...

Harmful Algal Blooms are worldwide occurrences that can cause poisoning in human seafood consumers as well as mortality and sublethal effets in wildlife, propagating economic losses. One of the most widespread toxigenic microalgal taxa is the dinoflagellate Genus Alexandrium, that includes species producing neurotoxins referred to as PST (Paralytic...

Blooms of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium spp., known as producers of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), are regularly detected on the French coastline. PSTs accumulate into harvested shellfish species, such as the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, and can cause strong disorders to consumers at high doses. The impacts of Alexandrium minutum on C. gi...

A citizen monitoring program (Phenomer) of marine water discolorations caused by high biomass phytoplankton development (Harmful Algal Blooms, HABs) was conducted in 2013, 2014 and 2015 in the coastal waters of Brittany (France). This project aimed to explore the feasibility of acquiring scientifically valuable data on water discolorations phenomen...

This study was designed to assess the contribution of feeding behavior to inter-individual variability of paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) accumulation in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. For this purpose 42 oysters were exposed for 2 days to non-toxic algae and then for 2 other days to the PST producer Alexandrium minutum. Individual clearance...

10th European Conference on Marine Natural Products, Kolymbari, Crete, Greece

10th European Conference on Marine Natural Products, Kolymbari, Crete, Greece

As a marine organism, the oyster Crassostrea gigas inhabits a complex biotope governed by interactions between the moon and the sun cycles. We used next-generation sequencing to investigate temporal regulation of oysters under light/dark entrainment and the impact of harmful algal exposure. We found that ≈6% of the gills’ transcriptome exhibits cir...

Perkinsosis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites from the Perkinsus genus. In Brazil, two species, P. beihaiensis and P. marinus, are frequently found infecting native oysters (Crassostrea gasar and C. rhizophorae) from cultured and wild populations in several states of the Northeast region. The impacts of this disease in bivalves from Brazil...

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) bind to voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) and block conduction of action potential in excitable cells. This study aimed to (i) characterize Nav sequences in Crassostrea gigas and (ii) investigate a putative relation between Nav and PST-bioaccumulation in oysters. The phylogenetic analysis highlighted two types of...

Dinoflagellates from the genus Alexandrium have the potential to produce paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) and to release unknown extra-cellular compounds (ECC) with cytotoxic, hemolytic, ichtyotoxic and allelopathic activities. Impacts on organisms are widely reported, although the nature of these ECC remains unidentified. It is not even clear if on...

Harmful algal blooms produced by toxic dinoflagellates have increased worldwide, impacting human health, the environment, and fisheries. Due to their potential sensitivity (e.g., environmental changes), bivalves through their valve movements can be monitored to detect harmful algal blooms. Methods that measure valve activity require bivalve-attache...

Number of detected movements. Summary of detected movement number found by both accelerometer and acoustics methods for each recording. (PDF)

Activity stability over the 2 hours recording. Scallop valve activity over the 2 hours of recording in response to exposition of Heterocapsa triquetra or toxic Alexandrium minutum. The examples here are under concentration expositions of 500 000 cell/L. (PDF)

Blooms of the brevetoxin-producing dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, are a recurrent and sometimes devastating phenomenon in the Gulf of Mexico. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is exposed regularly to these blooms, yet little is known about the impacts of K. brevis upon this important species. The present study considered the effects of ex...

The effects of polystyrene microbeads (micro-PS; mix of 2 and 6 μm; final concentration: 32 μg L−1) alone or in combination with fluoranthene (30 μg L−1) on marine mussels Mytilus spp. were investigated after 7 days of exposure and 7 days of depuration under controlled laboratory conditions. Overall, fluoranthene was mostly associated to algae Chae...

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) result from the rapid increase and growth of toxic microalgae, predominantly dinoflagellates, in marine ecosystems. HABs are of major interest because of their effects upon fisheries and human health. Dinoflagellates from the genus Alexandrium have the potential to produce paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) and release unkn...

As a marine organism, the oyster Crassostrea gigas inhabits a complex biotope governed by interactions between the moon and the sun cycles. We used next-generation sequencing to investigate temporal regulation of oysters under light/dark entrainment and the impact of harmful algal exposure. We found that ≈6% of the gills’ transcriptome exhibits cir...

Poster presented during the GdR Phycotox in March 2016 at Villefranche sur mer (06)

This study investigated the effect of gametogenesis pattern and sex on levels of paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) accumulated by triploid oysters Crassostrea gigas exposed to a natural bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum in the Bay of Brest (Western Brittany, France), over the summer 2014. Toxin accumulation in oysters was propose...

Dinoflagellates from the genus Alexandrium have the potential to produce paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) and extra-cellular compounds (ECC) with cytotoxic, hemolytic, ichtyotoxic and allelopathic activity. The nature of these ECC remains unknown and it is not clear if one or more compounds are involved. ECC impact various organisms and cell types w...

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas is an important commercial species cultured throughout the world. Oyster production practices often include transfers of animals into new environments that can be stressful, especially at young ages. This study was undertaken to determine if a toxic Alexandrium bloom, occurring repeatedly in French oyster beds,...

Asari (=Manila) clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, is the second bivalve mollusc in terms of production in the world and, in many coastal areas, can beget important socio-economic issues. In Europe, this species was introduced after 1973. In Arcachon Bay, after a decade of aquaculture attempt, Asari clam rapidly constituted neo-naturalized population w...

Saxitoxin (STX) is a neurotoxin produced by dinoflagellates in diverse species, such as Alexandrium spp., and it causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in humans after the ingestion of contaminated shellfish. Recent studies have suggested that the immune functions of bivalves could be affected by harmful algae and/or by their toxins. Herein, he...

Abstract Blooms of toxic dinoflagellates can co-occur with mass mortality events associated with herpesvirus OsHV-1 μVar infection that have been decimating Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas spat and juveniles every summer since 2008 in France. This study investigated the possible effect of a harmful dinoflagellate, Alexandrium catenella, a producer...

Effects of experimental exposure to Alexandrium fundyense, a Paralytic Shellfish Toxin (PST) producer known to affect bivalve physiological condition, upon eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica with a variable natural infestation of the digenetic trematode Bucephalus sp. were determined. After a three-week exposure to cultured A. fundyense or to a...

Species of the dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium produce phycotoxins responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning. Blooms of Alexandrium minutum reach very high concentrations of vegetative cells in the water column; and when these blooms occur, large numbers of toxic cysts can be produced and deposited on sediments becoming available to benthic sp...

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas accounts for a large part of shellfish aquaculture production worldwide. Aspects of morphological and functional characteristics of oyster oocytes remain poorly documented, and traditional techniques, such as microscopic observations of shape or fertilization rate, are time and space consuming. The purpose of th...

4. GdR PHYCOTOX e An interdisciplinary research network on toxic algae, their toxins and their effects on marine ecosystems and society P. Hess a, H. Hegaret b, Z. Amzil a, R. Araaoz c, S. Dragacci d, V. Fessard e, L. Guillou f, E. Michel-Guillou g, J. Molgó, S. Pardo h, V. Sechet a, R. Siano i, P. Soudant b, A. Thebault j a Ifremer, Laboratoire Ph...