Cyanobacterial toxins can induce toxic effects both in humans and in the environment. Among them, microcystins (MCs) are the best described and most diverse group of cyanobacterial toxins. Moreover, they are the toxins most frequently produced by freshwater cyanobacteria genera. Among so many variants, microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) is the most common and most studied congener, followed by MC-RR (with two arginines at positions 2 and 4). Currently, MC-LR is considered as the reference compound among MCs because of its toxicity and high occurrence.
The GUS reporter system (GUS: β-glucuronidase) is a reporter gene system, particularly useful in plant molecular biology and microbiology. Several kinds of GUS reporter gene assay are available, depending on the substrate used.
5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase is an enzyme produced by plants and microorganisms. It is the biological target of the herbicide glyphosate, and a glyphosate-resistant version of this gene has been used in genetically modified crops.