Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) is a potential virulence factor of Vibrio alginolyticus strains isolated from diseased fish |
| |
| Authors: | Supansa Bunpa Nattarika Chaichana Jade L L Teng Hwei Huih Lee Patrick C Y Woo Decha Sermwittayawong Nongyao Sawangjaroen Natthawan Sermwittayawong |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand;2. Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China;3. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand |
| |
| Abstract: | Vibrio alginolyticus is one of the most serious causative agents of diseases in cultured marine fish and shellfish. However, the characteristics of virulence factors in pathogenic V. alginolyticus are poorly known. To gain insight into fish diseases caused by V. alginolyticus, we carried out two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) combined with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to identify uniquely expressed proteins in the disease-causing V. alginolyticus. V. alginolyticus strains were isolated from marine environments and diseased fish obtained from southern Thailand. We identified seven unique proteins in the disease-causing V. alginolyticus strain. Among those, the outer membrane protein A (OmpA) had the strongest expression. Therefore, the function of this protein was further analysed. To investigate the role of OmpA protein, an in-frame deletion mutant of ompA was constructed using the homologous recombination method. Although the ompA mutant V. alginolyticus strain (ΔompA) grew normally, the mutant exhibited a significant defect in the swarming ability and the biofilm formation. Furthermore, Galleria mellonella larvae injected with the mutant bacteria had a significantly greater survival percentage than those injected with the wild-type strain, demonstrating that OmpA protein is required for the pathogenicity of V. alginolyticus. Together, this study suggests a potential target for vaccine development against pathogenic V. alginolyticus strain. |
| |
| Keywords: | Galleria mellonella MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry ompA two-dimensional gel electrophoresis Vibrio alginolyticus |
|
|
