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Microorganisms
Volume 10
Issue 12
10.3390/microorganisms10122475
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Article

Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen Vibrio europaeus in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus

by
Clara Martinez
,
Sergio Rodriguez
,
Ana Vences
,
Juan L. Barja
,
Alicia E. Toranzo
and
Javier Dubert
*
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Aquaculture Institute & CIBUS-Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2022, 10(12), 2475; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122475
Submission received: 9 November 2022 / Revised: 10 December 2022 / Accepted: 12 December 2022 / Published: 15 December 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence 2.0)
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Abstract

Vibrio europaeus 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 V. europaeus are very scarce despite its global significance for aquaculture. Zinc-metalloproteases have been described as a major virulence factor in some Vibrio spp., although their contribution and role in the virulence of V. europaeus is not clear. To address this, we have studied an extracellular zinc-metalloprotease (VemA) encoded by V. europaeus, 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 vemA gene (ΔvemA). V. europaeus 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.
Keywords: vibriosis; Vibrio europaeus; M4 zinc-metalloprotease; vibriolysin; VemA; shellfish aquaculture; Manila clam; bivalves; mucus vibriosis; Vibrio europaeus; M4 zinc-metalloprotease; vibriolysin; VemA; shellfish aquaculture; Manila clam; bivalves; mucus

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MDPI and ACS Style

Martinez, C.; Rodriguez, S.; Vences, A.; Barja, J.L.; Toranzo, A.E.; Dubert, J. Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen Vibrio europaeus in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus. Microorganisms 2022, 10, 2475. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122475

AMA Style

Martinez C, Rodriguez S, Vences A, Barja JL, Toranzo AE, Dubert J. Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen Vibrio europaeus in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus. Microorganisms. 2022; 10(12):2475. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122475

Chicago/Turabian Style

Martinez, Clara, Sergio Rodriguez, Ana Vences, Juan L. Barja, Alicia E. Toranzo, and Javier Dubert. 2022. "Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen Vibrio europaeus in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus" Microorganisms 10, no. 12: 2475. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122475

APA Style

Martinez, C., Rodriguez, S., Vences, A., Barja, J. L., Toranzo, A. E., & Dubert, J. (2022). Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen Vibrio europaeus in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus. Microorganisms, 10(12), 2475. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122475

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