Open AccessVibrio vulnificus may produce a metalloprotease causing an edematous skin lesion in vivo
Author(s) -
Miyoshi Shinichi,
Hirata Yoshihiro,
Tomochika Kenichi,
Shinoda Sumio
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1994.tb07120.x
Subject(s) - vibrio vulnificus , metalloproteinase , microbiology and biotechnology , protease , proteases , macroglobulin , in vivo , biology , vibrio , lesion , vibrionaceae , matrix metalloproteinase , pathology , bacteria , medicine , enzyme , biochemistry , genetics
Abstract Vibrio vulnificus , an opportunistic human pathogen, secretes a metalloprotease which has been suspected of being the causative factor for edematous skin lesions. The antibody against α‐macroglobulin, the sole plasma inactivator of V. vulnificus metalloprotease, delayed clearance of the protease administered into dorsal skin, and increased the edema‐forming abiligy of living bacterial cells. The derivative of the protease, which is resistant to the inactivating action of α‐macroglobulin, was not excluded from the dorsal skin. Furthermore, the vibrio inoculated into the mammalian serum was found to produce the protease in adequate amounts. These results suggest that V. vulnificus secretes a metalloprotease into the interstitial‐tissue space, resulting in the development of an edematous skin lesion, and that the protease is immediately inactivated by α‐macroglobulin and subsequently exluded.