Our recent research showed that cyanobacteria contaminating fresh waters produce metabolites with endocrine disruptive potential, especially compounds with retinoid-like activity. The objective of this project is to gain important information on the biosynthesis, occurrence, developmental effects and mechanisms of action of the newly identified metabolites and prioritize compounds of the greatest significance for the specific toxic potential in the environment. The project will characterize effects of the prioritized compounds and their relevant mixtures on signaling of key nuclear receptors important for development (retinoic acid receptor, retinoid X receptor and thyroid receptor), on neuronal cells differentiation, as well as on early development and neurobehavior of Danio rerio embryos. An important goal is also to identify gene clusters or specific genes responsible for synthesis of retinoids in cyanobacteria and describe their biosynthetic pathways using modern bioinformatics tools. Project will bring crucial knowledge for risk assessment of environmental cyanobacterial water blooms.

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