Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus
<i>Vibrio europaeus</i> is an emergent pathogen affecting clams, oysters and scallops produced in the most important countries for bivalve aquaculture. Studies concerning virulence factors involved in the virulence of <i>V. europaeus</i> are very scarce despite its global sig...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/12/2475 |
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| author | Clara Martinez Sergio Rodriguez Ana Vences Juan L. Barja Alicia E. Toranzo Javier Dubert |
| author_facet | Clara Martinez Sergio Rodriguez Ana Vences Juan L. Barja Alicia E. Toranzo Javier Dubert |
| author_sort | Clara Martinez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> is an emergent pathogen affecting clams, oysters and scallops produced in the most important countries for bivalve aquaculture. Studies concerning virulence factors involved in the virulence of <i>V. europaeus</i> are very scarce despite its global significance for aquaculture. Zinc-metalloproteases have been described as a major virulence factor in some <i>Vibrio</i> spp., although their contribution and role in the virulence of <i>V. europaeus</i> is not clear. To address this, we have studied an extracellular zinc-metalloprotease (VemA) encoded by <i>V. europaeus</i>, which was identified as a vibriolysin, highly conserved in this species and homologous in other pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Virulence challenge experiments demonstrated that infection processes were faster when Manila clam larvae and juveniles were infected with the wildtype rather than with a mutant defective in the <i>vemA</i> gene (Δ<i>vemA</i>). <i>V. europaeus</i> was able to resist the bactericidal action of mucus and displayed a chemotaxis ability favoured by VemA to colonize the body mucus of clams and form a biofilm. The overall results suggest that VemA, although it is not a major virulence factor, plays a role in the colonization of the Manila clam mucus, and thus boosts the infection process as we observed in virulence challenge experiments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:04:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c76ed13d688844258b16742648e77942 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:04:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-c76ed13d688844258b16742648e779422023-11-24T16:49:43ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072022-12-011012247510.3390/microorganisms10122475Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> in the Colonization of Manila Clam MucusClara Martinez0Sergio Rodriguez1Ana Vences2Juan L. Barja3Alicia E. Toranzo4Javier Dubert5Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Aquaculture Institute & CIBUS-Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, SpainDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Aquaculture Institute & CIBUS-Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, SpainDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Aquaculture Institute & CIBUS-Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, SpainDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Aquaculture Institute & CIBUS-Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, SpainDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Aquaculture Institute & CIBUS-Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, SpainDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Aquaculture Institute & CIBUS-Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain<i>Vibrio europaeus</i> is an emergent pathogen affecting clams, oysters and scallops produced in the most important countries for bivalve aquaculture. Studies concerning virulence factors involved in the virulence of <i>V. europaeus</i> are very scarce despite its global significance for aquaculture. Zinc-metalloproteases have been described as a major virulence factor in some <i>Vibrio</i> spp., although their contribution and role in the virulence of <i>V. europaeus</i> is not clear. To address this, we have studied an extracellular zinc-metalloprotease (VemA) encoded by <i>V. europaeus</i>, which was identified as a vibriolysin, highly conserved in this species and homologous in other pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Virulence challenge experiments demonstrated that infection processes were faster when Manila clam larvae and juveniles were infected with the wildtype rather than with a mutant defective in the <i>vemA</i> gene (Δ<i>vemA</i>). <i>V. europaeus</i> was able to resist the bactericidal action of mucus and displayed a chemotaxis ability favoured by VemA to colonize the body mucus of clams and form a biofilm. The overall results suggest that VemA, although it is not a major virulence factor, plays a role in the colonization of the Manila clam mucus, and thus boosts the infection process as we observed in virulence challenge experiments.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/12/2475vibriosis<i>Vibrio europaeus</i>M4 zinc-metalloproteasevibriolysinVemAshellfish aquaculture |
| spellingShingle | Clara Martinez Sergio Rodriguez Ana Vences Juan L. Barja Alicia E. Toranzo Javier Dubert Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus Microorganisms vibriosis <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> M4 zinc-metalloprotease vibriolysin VemA shellfish aquaculture |
| title | Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus |
| title_full | Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus |
| title_fullStr | Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus |
| title_full_unstemmed | Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus |
| title_short | Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus |
| title_sort | role of the vibriolysin vema secreted by the emergent pathogen i vibrio europaeus i in the colonization of manila clam mucus |
| topic | vibriosis <i>Vibrio europaeus</i> M4 zinc-metalloprotease vibriolysin VemA shellfish aquaculture |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/12/2475 |
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