Vibrio vulnificus metalloprotease VvpE is essentially required for swarming.
Bacterial swarming constitutes a good in vitro model for surface adherence and colonization, and is accompanied by expressions of virulence factors related to invasiveness. In this study, it was determined that Vibrio vulnificus swarming was abolished by mutation of the vvpE gene encoding a metalloprotease VvpE and this swarming defect was recovered by complementation of the vvpE gene. Expression of the vvpE gene began simultaneously with the beginning of swarming and increased along with expression of the luxS gene encoding the synthase of the precursor of quorum-sensing signal molecule autoinducer 2, and this increased vvpE expression was decreased by mutation of the luxS gene. Moreover, VvpE destroyed IgA and lactoferrins, which are responsible for mucosal immunity. These results suggest that VvpE may play important roles in the surface adherence and colonization of V. vulnificus by facilitating swarming and in the mucosal invasion of V. vulnificus by destroying IgA and lactoferrin.
Kim
Choon-Mee
CM
Research Center for Resistant Cells, Chosun University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
Park
Ra-Young
RY
Chun
Ho-Jong
HJ
Kim
Soo-Young
SY
Rhee
Joon-Haeng
JH
Shin
Sung-Heui
SH
D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013437:Carbon-Sulfur Lyases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000378:metabolism; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D045726:Metalloproteases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D041261:Vibrio vulnificus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D045726:Metalloproteases; D007781:Lactoferrin; D013437:Carbon-Sulfur Lyases; C117753:LuxS protein, Bacteria