Identification and characterization of the Vibrio vulnificus rtxA essential for cytotoxicity in vitro and virulence in mice.
A mutant exhibiting decreased cytotoxic activity toward INT-407 intestinal epithelial cells and carrying a mutation in the rtx gene cluster that consists of rtxCA and rtxBDE operons was screened from a library of V. vulnificus mutants. The functions of the rtxA gene, assessed by constructing an isogenic mutant and evaluating its phenotypic changes, demonstrated that RtxA is essential for the virulence of V. vulnificus in mice as well as in tissue cultures.
Lee
Jeong Hyun
JH
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Center for Agricultural Biomaterials, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
Kim
Myung Won
MW
Kim
Byoung Sik
BS
Kim
Seung Min
SM
Lee
Byung Cheol
BC
Kim
Tae Sung
TS
Choi
Sang Ho
SH
D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D041261:Vibrio vulnificus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C434464:RtxA protein, Vibrio cholerae