Journal of Microbiology

Review

MINIREVIEW] Development of Diagnostic and Vaccine Markers Through Cloning, Expression, and Regulation of Putative Virulence-Protein-Encoding Genes of Aeromonas hydrophila: Vijai Singh , Dharmendra Kumar Chaudhary , Indra Mani , Rohan Jain , B.N. Mishra; J. Microbiol. 2013;51(3):275-282. Published online June 28, 2013; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-013-2437-x

Abstract: Aeromonas hydrophila is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that is associated with a number of diseases in fish, amphibians, reptiles, and humans. In fish it causes several disease symptoms including tail and skin rot, and haemorrhagic septicemia; in human it causes soft-tissue wound infection and diarrhoea. The pathogenesis of A. hydrophila is multifactorial, but the mechanism is unknown so far. It is considered to be mediated by expression and secretion of extracellular proteins such as aerolysin, lipase, chitinase, amylase, gelatinase, hemolysins, and enterotoxins. A number of the putative virulence-protein-encoding genes that are present in the genome of A. hydrophila have been targeted by PCR for molecular diagnosis. These significant genes are also targeted for over-production of proteins by cloning and expression methods. In this review, we emphasize recent progress in the cloning, expression, and regulation of putative virulence-protein-encoding genes of A. hydrophila for a better understanding of the pathogenesis and also help to provide effective strategies for control of diseases.

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Use of Clostridium septicum Alpha Toxins for Isolation of Various Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Deficient Cells: Dong-Jun Shin , Hyon E. Choy , Yeongjin Hong; J. Microbiol. 2005;43(3):266-271.; DOI: https://doi.org/2214 [pii]

Abstract: In eukaryotic cells, various proteins are anchored to the plasma membrane through glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI). To study the biosynthetic pathways and modifications of GPI, various mutant cells have been isolated from the cells of Chinese hamster ovaries (CHO) supplemented with several exogenous genes involved in GPI biosynthesis using aerolysin, a toxin secreted from gram-negative bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila. Alpha toxin from Gram-positive bacterium Clostridium septicum is homologous to large lobes (LL) of aerolysin, binds GPI-anchored proteins and possesses a cell-destroying mechanism similar to aerolysin. Here, to determine whether alpha toxins can be used as an isolation tool of GPI-mutants, like aerolysin, CHO cells stably transfected with several exogenous genes involved in GPI biosynthesis were chemically mutagenized and cultured in a medium containing alpha toxins. We isolated six mutants highly resistant to alpha toxins and deficient in GPI biosynthesis. By genetic complementation, we determined that one mutant cell was defective of the second subunit of dolichol phosphate mannose synthase (DPM2) and other five cells were of a putative catalytic subunit of inositol acyltransferase (PIG-W). Therefore, C. septicum alpha toxins are a useful screening probe for the isolation of various GPI-mutant cells.

Methods of the extraction of DNA from water samples for polymerase chain reaction: Jung, Hae Sung , Lee, Young Jong; J. Microbiol. 1997;35(4):354-359.

Abstract: Methods for the extraction of DNA from water sample were approximated. Four different procedures of DNA extraction were carried out with pellets obtained from centrifugation of 4 liter water samples. The recovery efficiency and purity of DNA extracted by each method from different sources were compared. DNA yield varied with extraction methods, Method I, which involves enzymatic and freeze-thaw lysis steps and phenol and phenol-chloroform purification of extracted nucleic acid, showed a significantly higher yield and purity than the other methods. The use of glass beads in the DNA extraction methods improved the purity of DNA suitable for PCR. Bovine serum albumin in the PCR reaction mixture was useful in reducing inhibitory effects of contaminants. The efficiency of an extraction method was determined by the detection of the aer of Aeromonas hydrophila with PCR. The lower limit of detection of A. hydrophila from seeded tap water was 2 CFU/ml in PCR when method I was used for DNA preparation.

Characterization of Aeromonas hydrophila Isolated from Rainbow Trouts in Korea: Soondeuk Lee , Sookyung Kim , Yoojung Oh , Yeonhee Lee; J. Microbiol. 2000;38(1):1-7.

Abstract: Eight strains of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from diseased trout in Korea were characterized and compared with an American type strain by various methods including biochemical and physiological tests, PCR, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), plasmid profiling, and gel electrophoresis of total, membrane, and extracellular proteins. Virulence factors such as surface array proteins, cytotoxin, hemolysin, haemagglutinin, and protease were also investigated. The Korean strains showed het-erogeneity in lysine decarboxylase production, utilization of various carbon sources, and production of acetoin. Five strains had the same profiles of total and membrane proteins. Six strains haemag-glutinated with trout red blood cells (RBCs) which was inhibited by fucose, galactose, and mannose, except for No. 1 where haemagglutination was inhibited by only galactose and mannose, but not by fucose. Four isolates haemagglutinated with human RBCs which was inhibited by fucose and mannose yet not by galactose. The type strain haemagglutinated only with trout RBCs which was inhibited by fucose, galactose, and mannose. Every isolate secreted protease, hemolysin, cytotoxin, and siderophore, but no enterotoxin. Results showed that the Korean isolates, except for No. 7, had very different biochemical and molecular characteristics from those of the American type strain.

Purification and Characterization of Extracellular Temperature-Stable Serine Protease from Aeromonas hydrophila: Soo-Jin Cho , Jong-Ho Park , Seong Joo Park , Jong-Soon Lim , Eung Ho Kim , Yeon-Jae Cho , Kwang-Soo Shin; J. Microbiol. 2003;41(3):207-211.

Abstract: Extracellular protease, from Aeromonas hydrophila Ni 39, was purified 16.7-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity with an overall yield of 19.9%, through a purification procedure of acetone precipitation, and Q Sepharose and Sephacryl S-200 chromatographies. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 6.0 and the molecular mass, as determined by Sephacryl S-200 HR chromatography, was found to be about 102 kDa. SDS/PAGE revealed that the enzyme consisted of two subunits, with molecular masses of 65.9 kDa. Under standard assay conditions, the apparent K_m value of the enzyme toward casein was 0.32 mg/ml. About 90% of the proteolytic activity remained after heating at 60 ℃ for 30 min. The highest rate of azocasein hydrolysis for the enzyme was reached at 60℃, and the optimum pH of the enzyme was 9.0. The enzyme was inhibited by the serine protease inhibitor, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), by about 87.9%, but not by E64, EDTA, pepstatin or 1,10-phenanthroline. The enzyme activity was inhibited slightly by Ca_2^+, Mg_2^+ and Zn_2^+ ions.

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