1. Variation of extracellular proteases produced by Vibrio vulnificus clinical isolates: genetic diversity of the metalloprotease gene (vvp), and serine protease secretion by vvp-negative strains.
- Author
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Wang J, Sasaki T, Maehara Y, Nakao H, Tsuchiya T, and Miyoshi S
- Subjects
- Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Bacterial Proteins chemistry, Bacterial Proteins genetics, Bacterial Proteins metabolism, Base Sequence, Eels microbiology, Fish Diseases microbiology, Gene Expression, Humans, Japan, Metalloproteases chemistry, Metalloproteases metabolism, Molecular Sequence Data, Protein Transport, Sequence Alignment, Serine Endopeptidases chemistry, Serine Endopeptidases genetics, Spain, Vibrio vulnificus genetics, Vibrio vulnificus isolation & purification, Extracellular Space enzymology, Genetic Variation, Metalloproteases genetics, Serine Endopeptidases metabolism, Vibrio Infections microbiology, Vibrio Infections veterinary, Vibrio vulnificus enzymology
- Abstract
Vibrio vulnificus is a causative agent of septicemia or wound infection in human and eel; however, the genetic variation between human and eel isolates has been reported. In the present study, the difference in the vvp gene encoding a tissue-damaging metalloprotease was investigated. The gene of strain E86 from a diseased eel (type B vvp) was 95.2% identical with that of strain L-180 from human blood (type A vvp). PCR using oligonucleotide primers designed to differentiate two types of the gene showed that eel avirulent strains (9 isolates) commonly carry type A vvp, whereas eel virulent strains (18 isolates) revealed significant genetic variation. The vvp genes from 12 strains including strain E86 were placed on type B while those from 3 strains were on type A. Other strains were found to be vvp-negative, but PAGE and amino acid sequencing analysis showed that they secreted a serine protease (VVA0302) instead of the metalloprotease. This protease is an orthologue of a toxic protease from Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a human pathogen causing wound infection as well as gastroenteritis. These findings suggest that, in addition to metalloprotease, the extracellular serine protease may contribute to pathogenicity of V. vulnificus.
- Published
- 2008
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