Recognition of a 31,000 molecular weight protein synthesized by the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk. during Dinophysis spp. algal bloom in the Gulf of Trieste (upper Adriatic Sea).

During Dinophysis spp. bloom, a histological alteration in the digestive gland of Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk. occurs. Electrophoretic analysis of the water-soluble proteins of the hepatopancreas showed the presence of a low mol. wt protein, which appeared after the ingestion of algae by mussels. The probable relationship between the toxicity of Dinophysis and the synthesis of the new protein by mussels prompted us to produce a monoclonal antibody against this protein because it should be useful for the identification of mussel toxicity.