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Updated: Aug 13, 2026
07:18
Natural Product Discovery with LC-MS/MS Diagnostic Fragmentation Filtering: Application for Microcystin Analysis
Published on: May 31, 2019
Sub-Nanomolar Detection and Discrimination of Microcystin Congeners Using Aerolysin Nanopores
Alissa Agerova1,2, Juan Francisco Bada Juarez1, Louis W Perrin3
1Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne1015, Switzerland.
ACS Nano
|August 11, 2026
Summary
Aerolysin nanopores detect seven microcystin congener types in water, even at low concentrations. This breakthrough offers sensitive, real-time monitoring for safer drinking and recreational water sources.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Biotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Climate change impacts aquatic ecosystems, increasing cyanotoxin production.
- Cyanotoxins, like microcystins, pose risks to drinking and recreational water safety.
- Current monitoring methods face challenges with low detection limits and toxin diversity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sensitive method for detecting diverse microcystins.
- To assess nanopore technology for real-time water quality monitoring.
- To investigate the sensing mechanism of microcystins using aerolysin nanopores.
Main Methods:
- Utilized aerolysin nanopores for distinguishing seven microcystin congeners.
- Tested detection in both spiked and real lake water samples.
- Combined experimental data with molecular dynamics simulations.
Main Results:
- Achieved picomolar sensitivity for microcystin detection.
- Detected microcystins below World Health Organization intervention thresholds.
- Identified key amino acid residues (K238 and R220) in aerolysin's sensing mechanism.
Conclusions:
- Aerolysin nanopore technology enables sensitive and specific detection of microcystins.
- This method is suitable for real-time monitoring of water safety.
- The findings advance nanopore sensing for environmental toxin detection.
