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Infection and Immunity, April 2008, p. 1485-1497, Vol. 76, No. 4
0019-9567/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01289-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Further Characterization of Vibrio vulnificus Rugose Variants and Identification of a Capsular and Rugose Exopolysaccharide Gene Cluster{triangledown}

Brenda L. Grau,1 Margaret C. Henk,1,2 Katherine L. Garrison,1 Brett J. Olivier,1 Randall M. Schulz,1 Kathy L. O'Reilly,3 and Gregg S. Pettis1*

Department of Biological Sciences,1 Socolofsky Microscopy Center,2 Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana3

Received 20 September 2007/ Returned for modification 11 November 2007/ Accepted 13 January 2008


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ABSTRACT
 
Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) is a major virulence factor in Vibrio vulnificus, and encapsulated strains have an opaque, smooth (OpS) colony morphology, while nonencapsulated strains have a translucent, smooth (TrS) colony morphology. Previously, we showed that OpS and TrS parental strains can yield a third colony type, rugose (R), and that the resulting strains, with the OpR and TrR phenotypes, respectively, form copious biofilms. Here we show that while OpR and TrR strains both produce three-dimensional biofilm structures that are indicative of rugose extracellular polysaccharide (rEPS) production, OpR strains also retain expression of CPS and are virulent in an iron-supplemented mouse model, while TrR strains lack CPS and are avirulent. Chlorine resistance assays further distinguished OpR and TrR isolates as exposure to 3 µg/ml NaOCl eradicated both OpS and OpR strains, while both TrS and TrR strains survived, but at rates which were significantly different from one another. Taken together, these results further emphasize the importance of CPS for virulence of V. vulnificus and establish a correlation between CPS expression and chlorine sensitivity in this organism. Using reverse transcriptase PCR, we also identified a nine-gene cluster associated with both CPS and rEPS expression in V. vulnificus, designated the wcr (capsular and rugose polysaccharide) locus, with expression occurring primarily in R variants. The latter results set the stage for characterization of functional determinants which individually or collectively contribute to expression of multiple EPS forms in this pathogen.


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INTRODUCTION
 
Vibrio vulnificus is a gram-negative marine and estuarine bacterium capable of causing severe disease in susceptible individuals. This bacterium is normally found in fish and shellfish, including oysters. Several medical conditions can predispose a person to being susceptible to infection by this organism, including diabetes, liver disease, hemachromatosis, and a compromised immune system. When people with such conditions consume raw oysters or other seafood containing V. vulnificus, they are at risk of developing a rapidly progressing primary septicemia that can be fatal within 24 to 48 h. In an otherwise healthy individual, if a break in the skin is exposed to seawater containing this organism, a severe wound infection may develop that could necessitate amputation if treatment is not begun soon after the onset of symptoms. V. vulnificus does not infect as many people as other members of the genus Vibrio, but it is the leading reported cause of death from the consumption of seafood in the United States (28, 48).

V. vulnificus produces several virulence factors, including multiple enzymes, siderophores, RtxA toxin, and a polysaccharide capsule (for a review, see reference 15). While the other factors may assist in virulence, the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) is considered a major virulence factor and has been reported to protect the bacteria from phagocytosis and complement-mediated killing by the host immune system. When grown on solid media, colonies of cells producing CPS appear opaque (Op), smooth (S), and mucoid (4, 17). OpS strains are capable of undergoing spontaneous phase variation and producing translucent (Tr) strains that are smooth and sticky and express little or no CPS (59, 65). Several studies have documented that OpS strains are virulent, while TrS strains are avirulent in an iron-supplemented mouse model (21, 44-46, 61, 64).

As we reported previously (14), V. vulnificus is capable of producing a third colony morphotype, a rugose (R) variant, which produces copious amounts of extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) and forms robust biofilms. Biofilms are accumulations of cells encased in an exopolymeric substance produced by cells attached to each other and/or a surface (11, 43). Unlike the R variants, the OpS and TrS variants do not form appreciable amounts of biofilms. The R phenotype in Vibrio cholerae was described in the 1930s (54), but only recently have many of the genes responsible for the production of the rugose EPS (rEPS), also known as Vibrio polysaccharide, been reported (1, 33, 62, 63). The chemical composition of the rEPS of nonencapsulated R strains of V. cholerae has been shown to differ from the chemical composition of the CPS of encapsulated V. cholerae S strains (63), while the S and R forms exhibit differential expression of rEPS genes (62). As V. vulnificus R variants have been described only recently, genes associated with rEPS expression in phase variants of this species have not been identified.

In this study we further characterized R derivatives of both OpS and TrS parents, with the OpR and TrR phenotypes, respectively, and found additional significant differences between them in terms of pathogenicity in an iron-supplemented mouse model, expression of CPS, and resistance to chlorine. This is also the first report of a gene cluster in V. vulnificus whose genes are preferentially expressed in R variants but which includes determinants for both rEPS and CPS expression.


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MATERIALS AND METHODS
 
Bacterial strains and growth conditions. The bacterial strains used were the OpS strain V. vulnificus 1003(O) and the following previously described derivatives of this strain (14, 45): BG(R) (OpR; spontaneous R derivative), AZ(T) (TrS; spontaneous Tr derivative), ABZ1(T) (TrS; wcvA::mini-Tn10), ABZ1(R) (TrR; wcvA::mini-Tn10), RJS2(T) (TrS; wcvF::mini-Tn10), and TDB3(T) (TrS; wcrI::mini-Tn10). All V. vulnificus strains were grown in heart infusion broth (Difco, Detroit, MI) supplemented to 2% NaCl (HI broth). For growth on agar plates, 18 g of agar (Difco) per liter of HI was added. Broth cultures were incubated at 30°C and 200 rpm; plates were incubated at 30°C for 18 to 48 h. Phenotypic switching assays were performed as previously described (14).

Virulence assays. The pathogenicity of individual V. vulnificus strains was evaluated by using the iron-supplemented mouse model. Each mouse in a group (n = 5) of 6-week-old male ICR mice (Harlan Sprague-Dawley, Indianapolis, IN) was inoculated intraperitoneally with 0.5 ml of one dilution of a mid-exponential-phase bacterial culture in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (pH 7.2), followed by 0.2 ml of ferric ammonium citrate (80 µg) in PBS, as described by Wright et al. (60). Five serial dilutions and five groups of mice were typically used for each bacterial strain. Control mice received injections of ferric ammonium citrate in PBS. After 48 h, any remaining live mice were euthanized by asphyxiation with CO2, followed by cervical dislocation. Mice were housed in a BSL2 room in the Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine vivarium at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, and the experiment was approved by the LSU Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Spleens harvested from mice that died from V. vulnificus infection were macerated using a sterile syringe plunger in PBS and strained through a sterile mesh screen to remove connective tissue, and the resulting solutions were serially diluted and plated onto HI agar plates.

Chlorine resistance assay. V. vulnificus strains were analyzed to determine their resistance to chlorine as described previously for V. cholerae (63). Only newly purchased NaOCl (6%) was used, and the sealed containers were not opened until immediately prior to dilution to obtain a concentration of 3 µg/ml in PBS. Each culture was started using a representative colony of a phenotype; approximately 107 mid-exponential-phase cells were exposed to either PBS or 3 µg/ml NaOCl for 5 min, which was followed by dilution and plating. The experiments were conducted at least three times, and the log mean ± standard error survival values are reported below. The percent survival was calculated as follows: 100 x (number of CFU from NaOCl-treated cultures/number of CFU from PBS-treated cultures). The survival in PBS was defined as 100%. Data were analyzed by using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) in the SAS/STAT version 8 program (42). We performed a two-way ANOVA for the log-transformed survival values to compare strain and treatment levels with interaction (treatment and strain, where treatment was NaOCl or PBS). The two-way ANOVA explained 98.65% of the variability in the survival values. To determine a significant interaction effect, we performed a pairwise mean comparison of the log-transformed data with a Bonferroni adjustment (probability level, {alpha} = 0.05/16 or {alpha} = 0.003125).

Visualization of CPS and rEPS. For transmission electron microscopy (TEM), isolated colonies were obtained and treated as described previously (53), with the following modifications. Cells were fixed in 5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer (pH 7) for 2 h and then filtered onto a 0.2-µm polycarbonate filter and gently rinsed three times with buffer. Cells were then treated with polycationic ferritin (final concentration, 1.0 mg/ml; Sigma, St. Louis, MO) for 30 min and rinsed in buffer. Stained cells were then treated with 2% osmium tetroxide for 1 h, rinsed with water, and stained with 0.5% uranyl acetate for 1 h. Samples were dehydrated with ethanol and infiltrated with a 1:1 mixture of ethanol and LR White resin overnight, after which the samples were infiltrated with 100% LR White for 2 h. They were then embedded in LR White resin at 60°C, sectioned, stained with Reynolds lead citrate, and imaged with a JEOL 100CX TEM.

Isolated colonies selected for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were removed from an agar plate with the underlying agar attached, placed on filter paper in a petri dish, and vapor fixed overnight with 4% osmium tetroxide. The agar plug was then placed on an adhesive-coated SEM stub, air dried, and treated with a graphite suspension to enhance conductivity. Samples were then sputter coated with Au-Pd (60:40) with an Edwards S-150 sputter coater and imaged with a Cambridge 260 Stereoscan SEM.

Gene identification and primer design. Genes previously described as essential to or associated with CPS production in V. vulnificus or rEPS production in V. cholerae (1, 45, 58, 63) were selected, and their nucleotide sequences were obtained from GenBank and submitted to a BLAST (3) search to identify potential homologs in the genome sequences of V. vulnificus strains YJ016 (8) and CMCP6 (25). Homologous sequences in multiple strains were aligned by using the program Align Plus, version 2.0 (Scientific and Educational Software, Cary, NC), and conserved regions were identified and used for primer design. The control primers included universal primers for bacterial 16S rRNA genes (52) and primers that were specific for the following V. vulnificus genes: gyrB and a 23S rRNA gene. Primers were designed by using the program Primer Design, version 2 (Scientific and Educational Software), subjected to a BLAST search to determine uniqueness and proper location, and synthesized by Sigma-Genosys (The Woodlands, TX), and the primers used are listed in Table 1.


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  		TABLE 1. Primers used in this studya

Nucleic acid isolation and purification. Genomic DNA was isolated from overnight cultures of individual strains by using a PureGene DNA isolation kit (Gentra Systems, Minneapolis, MN) along with the protocol provided by the manufacturer. For isolation of total RNA, isolated colonies with the desired phenotype were selected and used to inoculate a 3-ml HI broth culture for each phase variant. The cultures were incubated overnight and then were prepared for RNA isolation. For mid-exponential and late-exponential RNA isolation, an overnight culture was diluted 1:100 into 10 ml fresh HI broth (30°C) and incubated until the culture optical densities at 600 nm reached approximately 0.400 and 1.000, respectively. To better synchronize growth, the cultures were diluted again 1:100 in 10 ml of 30°C HI broth and incubated until the desired optical densities at 600 nm were reached again, when multiple 1-ml aliquots were harvested into 1.5-ml tubes. Total RNA was isolated using TRI REAGENT (Molecular Research Center, Inc., Cincinnati, OH) by following the manufacturer's protocol. For stationary-phase RNA isolation, 0.5-ml aliquots of the overnight cultures were used for the TRI REAGENT protocol. Each culture used for RNA isolation was also streaked onto HI agar plates, and after incubation the plates were scrutinized to verify that the correct phenotype was expressed uniformly. Dried pellets of RNA were rehydrated in nuclease-free H2O (Ambion, Inc., Austin, TX), subjected to DNase (Promega Corp., Madison, WI) treatment, and then purified using an RNeasy kit (Qiagen, Inc., Valencia, CA) as suggested by the manufacturers. The RNA concentration was determined by using the A260/A280 values, and the integrity of the total RNA was verified by agarose gel electrophoresis.

PCRs were performed with purified RNA samples to determine if the samples contained any residual contaminating DNA. Genomic DNA samples (positive controls), as well as nuclease-free H2O (negative control), were examined in parallel reactions. Each 25-µl (final volume) reaction mixture contained 2.5 µl of 10x buffer, 1.5 µl of MgCl2 (25 mM), 1 µl of a deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) mixture (each dNTP at a concentration of 2.5 mM; Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA), 0.5 µl of each primer (20 µM) specific for a V. vulnificus 1003 23S rRNA gene (primers O212-F [5'-CGATAAGCGTAGATGAGGCA-3'] and O212-R [5'-GTACGCAGTCACACCACGAA-3']), 0.2 µl of AmpliTaq polymerase (5 U/µl; Applied Biosystems), 100 ng of template (RNA, DNA, or nuclease-free H2O), and nuclease-free H2O. The PCRs were performed with a Perkin Elmer Gene Amp 2400 using an initial temperature of 94°C for 1 min, followed by 35 cycles consisting of 94°C for 1 min, 55°C for 1 min, and 72°C for 2 min and then a final extension at 72°C for 5 min and holding at 4°C. PCR mixtures were examined by agarose gel electrophoresis, and when there was evidence of DNA contamination, the DNase treatment and PCR were repeated.

Gene detection PCR, gene linkage analysis, and RNA dot blotting. All primer sets were optimized for PCR using genomic DNA from each of the phase variants studied. For detection PCRs the cycling conditions described above for detecting DNA contamination in RNA were used. The annealing temperature was adjusted to 50 or 60°C for some primer sets, and most primer sets required addition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (10% of the total reaction volume) (Table 1). For CPS and rEPS gene detection PCRs, the following modified reaction mixture components were used: 2.5 µl of 10x buffer, 1.5 µl of MgCl2 (25 mM), 2 µl of a dNTP mixture (each dNTP at a concentration of 2.5 mM), 1.25 µl of each primer (20 µM), 0.2 µl of AmpliTaq polymerase, 2.5 µl of DMSO (if needed), 1 µl of template (100 ng/µl DNA or nuclease-free H2O), and nuclease-free H2O to bring the total volume to 25 µl. PCR products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis.

For gene linkage analysis, PCR was performed with genomic DNA of strain 1003(O) (OpS) using various combinations of the primers listed in Table 1. PfuTurbo polymerase (Stratagene) was used, and the reaction mixtures and running conditions were those recommended by the manufacturer. Southern blotting was performed as described previously (6), except that transfer was performed with a VacuGene XL vacuum blotting system (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Inc., Piscataway, NJ) used according to the manufacturer's instructions. V. vulnificus 1003(O) genomic DNA was isolated as described above. Fragments specific for the wcrC, wcrF, and wcrH genes were generated by performing PCRs with primers RUG18 and RUG19, RUG33 and RUG34, and CAP25 and CAP26 (Table 1), respectively, and these fragments then were used as templates for generation of radioactive probes by using an NEBlot kit (New England Biolabs, Ipswich, MA) along with 3,000 Ci/mmol [{alpha}-32P]dATP. Unincorporated nucleotides were removed from completed reaction mixtures by using a Microspin S-300 HR column (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Inc.).

For RNA dot blotting, total RNA was isolated from mid-exponential cultures as described above, and 5 µg of total RNA of each strain was bound in triplicate to a nylon membrane by vacuum blotting using a Bio-Dot microfiltration apparatus (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA). Fragments specific for portions of the wcrA, wcrD, and wcrJ genes were generated by performing PCRs with primers RUG13 and RUG14, RUG19 and RUG20, and RUG45 and RUG46 (Table 1), respectively; these fragments were then used to generate radiolabeled probes which were used in hybridization reactions using the conditions described previously (6). Completed dot blots were exposed to a phosphor screen for 16 h, and the screen was then scanned with a Typhoon scanner (GE Healthcare, Piscataway, NJ). Images were quantified using ImageQuant volume quantitation (GE Healthcare). Levels of induction were calculated by dividing the sum of the pixel values above the background level in each spot by the average sum of the pixel values for the 1003(O) (OpS) spots. The levels of induction for each set of spots were averaged for each strain, and the significance of the mean difference for each gene for the TrR strain compared to either the OpS or TrS strain was evaluated using a two-sample t test.

Two-step cDNA generation and amplification PCR. Once conditions were optimized for the different primer sets and the genes of interest had been detected in the genomic DNA of the phase variants, reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) was used to generate cDNA from purified total RNA using SuperScript II RT (Invitrogen Corp., Carlsbad, CA) and a modification of the suggested protocol. Briefly, 2 µl of total RNA (100 ng/µl), 2.8 µl of a random hexamer primer (100 ng; Sigma-Genosys), 1 µl of a dNTP mixture (each dNTP at a concentration of 10 mM; Stratagene), and 6.2 µl of nuclease-free H2O were combined, incubated at 65°C for 5 min and then on ice for 2 min, and pulse centrifuged. The following components were then added: 4 µl of 5x First Strand buffer, 2 µl of 0.1 M dithiothreitol, and 1 µl of RNasin (40 U/µl; Promega). The reaction mixtures were mixed gently and incubated at room temperature for 10 min, which was followed by incubation at 42°C for 15 min to equilibrate the mixture. Then either 1 µl (200 U) of SuperScript II RT or 1 µl of nuclease-free H2O was added, and the tube contents were mixed gently and incubated at 42°C for 50 min. RT was added to an additional negative control reaction mixture with nuclease-free H2O as the template to identify possible contamination from the recombinant RT. This control reaction was performed in tandem with the other reactions. The reaction mixtures were inactivated by incubation at 70°C for 15 min, followed by incubation on ice for 2 min and pulse centrifugation. cDNA was stored at –20°C.

Second-strand and amplification PCRs were performed with cDNA samples from the different time points. Control reactions with genomic DNA or nuclease-free H2O as the template were performed in parallel. The reaction mixtures consisted of 2.5 µl of 10x buffer, 1.5 µl of MgCl2 (25 mM), 0.5 µl of a dNTP mixture (each dNTP at a concentration of 2.5 mM), 0.5 µl of each primer (20 µM), 0.2 µl of AmpliTaq polymerase, 2.5 µl of DMSO (if needed), 1 µl of template (cDNA, 100 ng/µl genomic DNA, or nuclease-free H2O), and nuclease-free H2O to bring the total volume to 25 µl. The cycling parameters were the same as those described above except that the PCR was performed for only 30 cycles at the empirically determined annealing temperature. The reactions were performed with either a Perkin Elmer Gene Amp 2400 (24 wells) or a Bio-Rad MyCycler (96 wells). All RT-PCRs were performed at least twice with separate cDNA preparations. PCR products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis, and reactions were scored qualitatively for gene expression as follows: 3+, brightest RT-PCR products observed; 2+, RT-PCR products with intermediate brightness; +, dim but significant RT-PCR products; tr, trace (very faint RT-PCR products); 0, no RT-PCR product. Each set of reactions was scored independent of the other sets; thus, the qualitatively estimated levels of expression were not carried over from one gene to another.


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RESULTS
 
OpR V. vulnificus strains are virulent in the iron-supplemented mouse model and retain production of CPS. Previously, we demonstrated that the OpR strain BG(R), like its OpS parent, 1003(O), was relatively resistant to killing by normal human serum (NHS), while the TrR strain ABZ1(R), like its TrS parent ABZ1(T), was sensitive to NHS (14). To determine if survival in NHS in vitro correlates with pathogenicity in vivo, we tested strains 1003(O) (OpS), BG(R) (OpR), ABZ1(T) (TrS), and ABZ1(R) (TrR) using the iron-supplemented mouse model. Typically, groups of five mice were inoculated with a given strain at concentrations ranging from approximately 100 to 104 or 105 CFU, followed by injection of ferric ammonium citrate as described previously (60). Mice were then monitored for 48 h for survival. Similar to the results of other workers (45), the OpS strain was virulent, with as few as 1.9 x 102 CFU resulting in the death of 80% of the mice infected and 100% killing observed at the higher dose tested (Table 2). Also as expected (45), the TrS strain was avirulent (i.e., none of the infected mice died) at all bacterial concentrations tested (range, 2.3 x 100 to 2.3 x 104 CFU) (Table 2). Meanwhile, consistent with the previous NHS results, the OpR strain was also virulent, with as few as 4.3 x 102 CFU resulting in the death of 20% of the mice and 100% killing observed at the higher doses examined, while the TrR strain was avirulent at all concentrations tested (range, 1.3 x 100 to 1.3 x 105 CFU) (Table 2). While the levels of mortality resulting from the 102-CFU doses of the OpS (80%) and OpR (20%) strains were different, there was no statistically significant difference between these results. Spleens of mice that died from infection with OpS bacteria yielded only OpS colonies when they were plated on appropriate agar media, while spleens of mice that died from infection with OpR bacteria yielded only OpR colonies (data not shown). These findings eliminated the possibility that either morphotype of bacteria had undergone phenotypic switching in vivo and therefore confirmed that the deaths of mice infected with a particular phase variant were caused by that type of variant.


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  		TABLE 2. Mortality of V. vulnificus 1003 phase variants in an iron-supplemented mouse model

The apparent correlation between survival in vitro (in NHS) and virulence in vivo (in mice) for the encapsulated OpS strain 1003(O) and its OpR derivative BG(R) led us to speculate that the latter strain may have retained the ability to produce CPS, while also producing rEPS. As polycationic ferritin staining has been used to visualize the capsular material of several bacteria (22-24, 51), whole colonies of strains 1003(O) (OpS), BG(R) (OpR), ABZ1(T) (TrS), and ABZ1(R) (TrR), as well as the spontaneous TrS strain AZ(T), were stained with polycationic ferritin, prepared, sectioned, and then viewed by TEM (Fig. 1). Both the OpS strain and its OpR derivative had a thick layer of ferritin-stained material around each cell, as well as between cells; there did not appear to be any difference in the thickness of this layer in the two strains (Fig. 1A and B). In contrast, the acapsular, TrS transposon mutant ABZ1(T) and its TrR derivative ABZ1(R) had little or no ferritin-stained material surrounding the cells (Fig. 1C and D), while the spontaneous TrS strain AZ(T) had minimal ferritin-stained material on the cell surfaces and some stained material was in the spaces between cells (Fig. 1E). The protocol used apparently did not allow visualization of rEPS, which, if present, should have been most unambiguously identifiable for the TrR strain ABZ1(R), the R derivative of the acapsular transposon mutant ABZ1(T) (TrS). However, ABZ1(R) (TrR), as well as R colonies derived from other TrS strains, tended to float and lose their cohesion during the preparation process (data not shown), which we interpreted to mean that the rEPS around these cells was being dissociated. It is possible that the aqueous fixation process used for preparation of the cells for viewing by TEM led to dissolution of the rEPS and separation of the rEPS from the cells, while the attached CPS remained.


Figure 1
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  		FIG. 1. Electron micrographs of polycationic ferritin-stained whole colonies of V. vulnificus phase variants. Whole colonies grown on HI agar were stained with polycationic ferritin, sectioned, and viewed by TEM as described in the text. The following strains were examined: (A) 1003(O) (OpS); (B) BG(R) (OpR); (C) ABZ1(T) (TrS); (D) ABZ1(R) (TrR); and (E) AZ(T) (TrS). Bars = 1 µm.

We previously showed that OpR and TrR V. vulnificus strains formed profuse biofilms on the surfaces of static cultures (14); however, the three-dimensional (3-D) biofilm structures resulting from production of copious amounts of rEPS were not verified for these strains. As mentioned above, biofilms have been defined as an accumulation of cells that are encased in an exopolymeric substance produced by the cells and that are attached to each other and/or a surface (11, 43); this definition includes bacterial colonies (12, 27). To verify that V. vulnificus R isolates indeed produce the 3-D biofilm structures, we analyzed fixed colonies of strains 1003(O) (OpS), BG(R) (OpR), ABZ1(T) (TrS), and ABZ1(R) (TrR), both whole and fractured, by using SEM, a process which notably did not involve an aqueous fixation step. As shown in Fig. 2A and B, the OpS and TrS strains had a smooth colony surface and a flat architecture, reminiscent of a biofilm monolayer. Colonies of the R strains BG(R) (OpR) and ABZ1(R) (TrR), however, had a wrinkled surface and a distinct 3-D architecture reminiscent of classic biofilm structure (10, 27, 47), which included pillars, channels, and arches (Fig. 2C, D, E, and F). Taken together, the polycationic ferritin staining TEM and whole-colony SEM results support the notion that both OpR and TrR strains of V. vulnificus indeed produce copious amounts of rEPS (which was evident only when SEM was used), while only the OpR variant also produces CPS (as revealed by TEM).


Figure 2
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  		FIG. 2. V. vulnificus R colonies are solid-air interface 3-D biofilms. Whole colonies grown on HI agar were vapor fixed with 4% osmium tetroxide and viewed by SEM as described in the text. (A) 1003(O) (OpS); (B) ABZ1(T) (TrS); (C, E, and F) BG(R) (OpR); (D) ABZ1(R) (TrR). (A, B, C, and E) Bars = 100 µm; (D) bar = 50 µm; (F) bar = 20 µm.

TrS and TrR strains survive exposure to chlorine, while OpS and OpR strains do not. It has been reported that V. cholerae R variants are more resistant to chlorine than nonencapsulated S parental strains (2, 31, 37, 63). Resistance to chlorine disinfectant was tested here using four V. vulnificus phase variants, and the results are shown in Fig. 3. While OpR V. vulnificus strain BG(R) and its OpS parent 1003(O) were both totally eradicated by exposure to 3 µg/ml NaOCl for 5 min, the TrS strain ABZ1(T) and its TrR derivative ABZ1(R) survived, but the mean viable cell counts were 2 and 3 logs lower, respectively, than those for the PBS-treated controls. The level of survival of strain ABZ1(T) (TrS) (1.06% ± 0.68% [mean ± standard deviation]) was almost ninefold greater than that of the TrR strain ABZ1(R) (0.12% ± 0.16%). We analyzed the data using a two-way ANOVA and the log-transformed survival values and found that the differences between the PBS and NaOCl treatments were significant (P ≤ 0.0001) for all strains. There were no statistically significant differences between the OpS and OpR strains in either the PBS- or NaOCl-treated groups. However, the differences in survival after NaOCl treatment between the Tr and Op strains shown in Fig. 3 were significant (P ≤ 0.0001), irrespective of the S or R phenotype. To determine the significant interaction effect, we performed a pairwise mean comparison with a Bonferroni adjustment (probability level, {alpha} = 0.05/16 or {alpha} = 0.003125); this test showed that the level of survival of the TrS strain was significantly greater than that of the TrR strain (probability level, {alpha} = 0.0031) after both strains were treated with NaOCl. Thus, the results obtained for the TrS and TrR strains contrast with those described previously for R and nonencapsulated S strains of V. cholerae (2, 31, 37, 63); meanwhile, the chlorine results in their entirety obtained in this study suggest a role for CPS in the chlorine sensitivity of V. vulnificus, as discussed below.


Figure 3
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  		FIG. 3. Chlorine disinfectant differentially kills phase variants of V. vulnificus 1003. Individual strains were exposed to 3 µg/ml NaOCl for 5 min as described previously (63). The large bars indicate the log means and the error bars indicate the standard errors for survival in three independent experiments for strains 1003(O) (OpS), BG(R) (OpR), ABZ1(T) (TrS), and ABZ1(R) (TrR).

Identification of a CPS and rEPS locus in V. vulnificus. As S and R forms of V. cholerae show differential expression of rEPS genes (62), we sought to identify genes that may be expressed differentially in OpS, TrS, and R isolates of V. vulnificus. Most of 36 genes known to be involved in CPS expression in V. vulnificus (45, 58) or identified as homologs of genes required for rEPS production in V. cholerae (1, 63) were expressed at some level in all five V. vulnificus phase variants, 1003(O) (OpS), AZ(T) (TrS), BG(R) (OpR), ABZ1(T) (TrS), and ABZ1(R) (TrR) (13), when they were screened by performing RT-PCR with primers designed using conserved regions of each gene. Strains were grown in HI broth at 30°C as described in Materials and Methods, and Table 3 shows the qualitative expression patterns of 10 of these genes chosen for further analysis. The first five genes, designated wcrABCDF (see below), are homologs of genes that have been associated with rEPS expression in V. cholerae (1, 63), and these genes also correspond to V. vulnificus YJ016 open reading frame (ORFs) VVA0395 through VVA0391, which are part of a single locus in that strain (8). Four of the remaining genes, wza, wcvA, wcvF, and wcrI (previously designated wcvI), have been shown to be required for CPS expression in V. vulnificus, while wcrH (previously designated wcvH) is linked to wcrI (45, 58). The RT-PCR data for the wcrABCDF genes indicate that they are all preferentially expressed in R strains (Table 3). Generally, their expression was greatest during mid-exponential growth and declined during late-exponential growth, and for the most part they were not expressed during stationary phase. While minimal expression of most of these genes was noted for the non-R strains, wcrA appeared from this analysis to be expressed exclusively in the R isolates (Fig. 4A). The pattern of expression of the wcrABCDF genes was markedly different from the pattern of expression of many of the other exopolysaccharide genes studied, such as wza, a CPS transport gene of V. vulnificus, which has been reported to be missing in some TrS strains (7, 58) and which, in contrast, was expressed in this study by all phase variants at all time points tested (Table 3 and Fig. 4B). Similarly, wcvA and wcvF showed expression profiles inconsistent with the pattern of expression of the wcrABCDF cluster. These two genes also showed some expression in all phase variants tested, with the exception of wcvA in ABZ1(T) (TrS) and its TrR derivative, ABZ1(R); this was expected, however, since these strains contained a transposon insertion in the wcvA gene.


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  		TABLE 3. CPS and rEPS gene expression in V. vulnificus 1003 phase variants during different stages of growth as determined by RT-PCR


Figure 4
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  		FIG. 4. Gene expression in V. vulnificus phase variants as measured by RT-PCR: results of RT-PCR, second-strand PCR, and amplification PCR for RNA from five phase variants at three different points in the life cycle for the (A) wcrA and (B) wza genes. Second-strand and amplification PCRs were performed with cDNA made using the following RNA-RT combinations: lane 1, 1003(O) (OpS) with RT; lane 2, 1003(O) (OpS) with no RT; lane 3, AZ(T) (TrS) with RT; lane 4, AZ(T) (TrS) with no RT; lane 5, BG(R) (OpR) with RT; lane 6, BG(R) (OpR) with no RT; lane 7, ABZ1(T) (TrS) with RT; lane 8, ABZ1(T) (TrS) with no RT; lane 9, ABZ1(R) (TrR) with RT; lane 10, ABZ1(R) (TrR) with no RT; lane 11, H2O with RT. The following lanes contained PCR controls: lane +, genomic DNA; and lane –, negative (H2O) control. Lanes M contained a 100-bp marker. (New England Biolabs) ME, mid-exponential; LE, late exponential; ST, stationary phase.

In contrast to the expression patterns of the wza, wcvA, and wcvF genes, the wcrH and wcrI genes showed preferential expression in R strains, similar to the profiles for the wcrABCDF cluster. Previously, it was shown that a transposon insertion in the wcrI gene eliminated CPS expression in strain 1003(O) (OpS), and although the sequences of wcrI and the adjoining gene wcrH were determined, their location relative to other exopolysaccharide genes was unknown (45). BLAST searches performed in this study using the sequences of wcrH and wcrI revealed that the predicted products of these two genes exhibited high levels of deduced amino acid identity to the products of two ORFs (VVA0390 [98%] and VVA0389 [99%], respectively) adjacent to the wcrABCDF gene cluster (VVA0395 through VVA0391) in V. vulnificus YJ016. As shown in Fig. 5, the entire locus includes the seven genes (wcrABCDFHI) identified here as being expressed predominantly in R strains, as well as two additional ORFs, VVA0388 and VVA0387, which were designated wcrJ and wcrK, respectively, in this study.


Figure 5
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  		FIG. 5. wcr gene cluster in the genome of V. vulnificus YJ016. Block arrows indicate the direction of transcription of the genes. Small angled arrows indicate the position of putative promoters, including a conserved ops (operon polarity suppressor) sequence (5), while the hairpin structure after wcrK indicates the position of a putative rho-independent transcriptional terminator. The open arrowhead below wcrI indicates the location of the transposon insertion in strain TDB3(T) (TrS) (45). The type of block arrow indicates the predicted gene function or product, as follows: filled arrows, transferase genes; arrows with horizontal stripes, polysaccharide export; arrow with diagonal stripes, biosynthesis genes; open arrows, genes encoding hypothetical or unknown proteins. Asterisks indicate gene probes used in Southern hybridization.

To analyze further the apparent differential expression of the wcr genes, we used quantitative RNA dot blotting. Specifically, total RNA isolated from exponentially growing cultures of representative OpS, TrS, and R strains [strains 1003(O), ABZ1(T), and ABZ1(R), respectively] was hybridized with radioactive probes specific for the wcrA, wcrD, or wcrJ gene, and digital images generated using a phosphorimager were quantified using relevant software. As shown in Table 4, the increases in expression of these three wcr genes ranged from approximately 6-fold to >30-fold for the TrR strain relative to the OpS strain, and the levels of induction were even greater for the TrR strain compared to the TrS isolate. Moreover, using a two-sample t test, the mean difference in expression of each wcr gene between the TrR strain and the OpS isolate was found to be significant (for wcrA, P < 0.01; for wcrD, P < 0.01; and for wcrJ, P < 0.002), as was the difference in expression of each wcr gene between the TrR strain and the TrS strain (for wcrA, P < 0.01; for wcrD, P < 0.01; and for wcrJ, P < 0.001). These results thus confirm and extend our finding that wcr genes show significantly greater expression in R strains than in OpS and TrS isolates.


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  		TABLE 4. Quantitative RNA dot blot analysis of wcr gene expression in V. vulnificus 1003 phase variantsa

The inclusion of wcrHI in this cluster in strain YJ016 is significant since, as stated above, a transposon insertion in the wcrI gene in V. vulnificus strain 1003(O) (OpS) was found to eliminate CPS production (45). This result raised the possibility that the wcrABCDFHIJK cluster may be involved in both CPS and rEPS production. To begin to address this hypothesis directly, we tested strain TDB3(T) (TrS) (45), a Tr derivative of V. vulnificus 1003(O) (OpS) that contains a transposon in wcrI, a predicted glycosyltransferase gene, for the ability to undergo phase variation, as measured by the phenotypic switching assay described previously (14). Briefly, this assay involves daily passaging of HI broth cultures of a given strain and plating cells for subsequent phenotypic analysis and quantification of colonies every 5 days, as well as additional cycles of passaging and plating for up to 15 days, if necessary. As determined by this assay, the OpS strain 1003(O) and many of its TrS derivatives produced R derivatives at readily measurable frequencies (14). Table 5 shows that TDB3(T) (TrS) produced only TrS colonies (100% based on a total of 9,698 colonies counted in three independent switching assays, each conducted for a total of 15 days) and so produced neither OpS nor TrR colonies. In contrast, strain RJS2(T), another TrS derivative of strain 1003(O) (OpS) which was rendered acapsular due to a transposon insertion in the wcvF gene (45), also produced no OpS colonies but did produce both TrS colonies (87.3% ± 5.9% [mean ± standard deviation based on a total of 5,755 colonies counted]) and TrR colonies (5.2% ± 4.5%) (Table 5). The switching assay results for strain TDB3(T) (TrS) thus support the notion that both rEPS and CPS genetic determinants are present in this cluster of genes.


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  		TABLE 5. Phenotypic switching of V. vulnificus 1003 phase variantsa

However, it was still possible that although wcrH and wcrI are clustered with the other wcr genes in sequenced strain YJ016, these genes may not all be linked in strain 1003(O) (OpS). To examine wcr gene linkage in strain 1003(O) (OpS), we used a combination of PCR and Southern hybridization (see Materials and Methods for details). PCR confirmed the linkage of four gene pairs; specifically, using primers RUG13 and RUG16, RUG15 and RUG18, RUG19 and RUG34, and CAP25 and CAP28 (Table 1), linkage was demonstrated between wcrA and wcrB, wcrB and wcrC, wcrD and wcrF, and wcrH and wcrI, respectively (data not shown). Radiolabeled probes specific for wcrC, wcrF, or wcrH all hybridized to the same 10.5-kb PstI fragment of 1003(O) (OpS) genomic DNA in Southern blots, as well as to larger individual BamHI and MluI fragments; these results were anticipated based on the YJ016 sequence for this genetic region (data not shown). Based on the w** proposed system for nomenclature of bacterial genes involved in exopolysaccharide production (36), we designated this nine-gene locus wcr (capsular and rugose exopolysaccharide). This locus appears to be intact in both YJ016 and strain 1003(O) (OpS); further, a homologous cluster, corresponding to ORFs VV21582 to VV21574, was also identified by BLAST searches of the other sequenced V. vulnificus strain, CMCP6 (Table 6).


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  		TABLE 6. Identification of the wcr locus in the two sequenced strains of V. vulnificus and distribution of homologs in other Vibrio species

Outside V. vulnificus strains, the products of the wcrABCDFHIJK cluster showed significant predicted amino acid identity (range, 49 to 75%) to the products of the cpsABCDFHIJK gene cluster in Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain BB22 (Table 6), which are required for CPS expression in this organism (16). Certain genes in the V. vulnificus cluster also showed identity to genes in the vps region of the sequenced V. cholerae O1 El Tor N16961 genome (18). The vps region is involved in rEPS expression and is divided into two operons (vpsI and vpsII) on a 30.7-kb fragment of the large chromosome of V. cholerae (1, 63). The products of both wcrF and wcrI showed deduced amino acid identity (31 and 23%, respectively) to products of genes in the vpsI operon, while the wcrABCD gene products showed levels of amino acid identity ranging from 28 to 55% to products of genes in the vpsII operon and the wcrK product showed 30% amino acid identity to the product of VC0939, a gene downstream of the vpsII operon. No potential homologs of either the wcrH or wcrJ gene of V. vulnificus were identified in the genome of V. cholerae N16961 (18) or any of the other sequenced V. cholerae strains (Table 6). Finally, homologs of most of the wcrABCDFHIJK genes of V. vulnificus were also identified in the genomes of numerous other Vibrio species (Table 6).

Analysis of the nine-gene wcr locus in V. vulnificus. Using the web-based FGENESB: Bacterial Operon and Gene Prediction algorithm (http://www.softberry.com/cgi-bin/programs/gfindb/fgenesb.pl), two operons were predicted for the nine-gene locus: wcrABCDF and wcrHIJK (Fig. 5). While no complete JUMPstart (just upstream of many polysaccharides starts) sequence (20) was identified 5' to wcrA, an intact 9-bp ops (operon polarity suppressor) sequence (5'-GGGCGGTAG-3') with a downstream conserved thymine residue (5) was identified 26 bp upstream of the predicted translational start site of wcrA and within a putative promoter region, which was predicted (based on a score of 0.97 with a score cutoff of 0.80) using the web-based Neural Network Promoter Prediction algorithm for prokaryotic sequences (35). A promoter with a score of 0.97 was also predicted using the same algorithm for the region between the two putative operons, although no ops sequence was identified there. Finally, a possible rho-independent transcriptional termination site was identified following the last gene in the cluster, wcrK, by using the database for the genome of V. vulnificus YJ016 from the web-based transTermHP site (26).

Because recombination between direct repeats and recombination between indirect repeats leading to deletions and inversions, respectively, are mechanisms of phase variation in other bacterial species (41, 50), we searched the wcrABCDFHIJK gene cluster for direct and indirect repeats. Numerous repeats of both types were identified, and the longest repeat of each type was 15 bp long. The first 15-bp direct repeat (5'-GTCACTCGATGAGCT-3') was found in wcrA, and the second was found in wcrK. The first 15-bp inverted repeat (5'-CTTTGTATTTCTGAC-3') was identified in the noncoding sequence 5' to wcrA, and the second was identified in wcrF. Both types of repeats were well represented throughout the cluster, including both coding and noncoding regions, and thus recombination involving either type represents a possible mechanism for phase variation of CPS and/or rEPS expression.

Many of the genes in the cluster have conserved domains found in genes encoding proteins known to participate in expression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), EPS, and CPS (Table 7). There are three glycosyltransferases: the product of wcrA, which has the conserved domain of WcaJ for expression of colanic acid in Escherichia coli K-12 and other strains with group 2 capsules (56), and the products of wcrF and wcrI, both of which have the conserved domain of RfaG (renamed WaaG), which is involved in synthesis of the LPS core oligosaccharide in E. coli and Salmonella enterica (19). The longest gene in the cluster, wcrD, has two conserved domains. The first conserved domain encodes GumC, which is involved in group 1 CPS expression in Xanthomonas campestris, and a homolog of Wzc (PCP-2 [polysaccharide copolymerase]), which functions in O-antigen synthesis as a tyrosine autokinase and contains ATP-binding motifs; the second conserved domain is the domain encoding Mrp, an ATPase in E. coli (55). The following two genes have domains associated with transport: wcrC (polysaccharide biosynthesis and export) and wcrJ, whose conserved domain encodes RfbX (renamed Wzx, a flippase). In E. coli, RfbX is involved in the export of O antigen and teichoic acid, while Wzx has been reported to be associated with group 1 CPS and colanic acid expression, as well as LPS expression (32, 55). There are multiple homologs of Wzx, and they have been grouped recently into PST(1) for CPS expression and PST(2) for LPS expression (32). It is likely that the wcrJ gene product is in the latter group based on the conserved domain. Finally, three genes have either an uncharacterized conserved domain (wcrB) or no known conserved domain (wcrH and wcrK).


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  		TABLE 7. Genes in the wcr locus of V. vulnificus


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DISCUSSION
 
Previously, we demonstrated that OpR and TrR isolates of V. vulnificus have a number of similarities, including production of copious amounts of biofilms and little or no motility (14). A significant difference between R isolates was also observed, however, upon exposure to NHS; an OpR strain, like its OpS parent, was relatively resistant to complement-mediated killing, while a TrR strain, like its TrS progenitor, was sensitive (14). Here, we showed that resistance of OpR strains to serum killing in vitro correlates with virulence in vivo in the iron-supplemented mouse model. Given the correlation between virulence and the presence of capsule, which enables V. vulnificus to avoid host immune cells and complement (15, 48), it was not surprising to find that OpR cells retain CPS expression in addition to producing rEPS, while the avirulent TrR cells produce only rEPS. These data further illustrate the central role in pathogenesis played by CPS in V. vulnificus (15). Because the TrR strain was avirulent, no direct function in the pathogenicity of V. vulnificus can be ascertained for rEPS. Interestingly, studies of the R phenotype in V. cholerae suggest that the rEPS may promote biofilm formation in vivo and that during coinfection V. cholerae R cells may assist certain S strains in pathogenesis (34). It thus remains to be determined whether rEPS could similarly play a significant, and perhaps ancillary, role in the pathogenesis of V. vulnificus. It is also possible that the biofilm-proficient R form of V. vulnificus instead increases survival of the organism in its normal marine and estuarine environments (14).

In addition to protection from the bactericidal effects of NHS, the V. cholerae R phenotype and the V. cholerae rEPS have been shown to confer protection against low levels of chlorine disinfectant. V. cholerae R cells survived exposure to 0.5 to 3 µg/ml free chlorine, in some instances for at least 30 min, while S cells were killed quickly (2, 31, 37, 63), and purified rEPS was shown actually to inactivate free chlorine (63). While R strains have been isolated from numerous V. cholerae serogroups, including serogroup O1 and the encapsulated serogroup O139, all of the V. cholerae R strains for which chlorine resistance has been reported were derived from a nonencapsulated parent strain. In contrast to the findings for V. cholerae rEPS, the results reported here suggest that V. vulnificus rEPS does not confer a chlorine survival advantage to the cells, nor does CPS. While the numbers of TrS strain ABZ1(T) cells that survived chlorine treatment were significantly higher than the numbers of cells of its R derivative ABZ1(R) that survived, both the OpS strain 1003(O) and its OpR derivative BG(R) were totally eradicated. These data strongly suggest that in V. vulnificus it is the absence of CPS especially, rather than the presence of rEPS, that promotes survival when cells are exposed to low levels of chlorine disinfectant. It has been suggested that bacterial EPS (including CPS) functions as an ion-exchange substance and also as a nutrient-trapping substance (9, 49). Perhaps the CPS, which is covalently bound to the cell, sequesters the OCl– ion close to the cell and allows the chlorine to make contact with the cell membrane, where it can denature membrane proteins (39), resulting in membrane disruption and cell death. These results indicate that while CPS and rEPS may confer adaptive advantages to the bacteria under some conditions, they may also be a liability under other conditions.

V. cholerae strains are often tested for resistance to chlorine, but V. vulnificus strains are not. Unlike V. cholerae, V. vulnificus cannot survive in freshwater and thus is not transmitted through drinking water, which is often treated with chlorine in attempts to kill pathogens. It has been reported that a modified Dakin's solution (250 µg/ml NaOCl) is useful for treatment of V. vulnificus wound infections in a clinical setting (30, 57). In another study, in which one V. vulnificus strain was tested for chlorine resistance, exposure to 500 µg/ml NaOCl for 30 min killed not only V. vulnificus but also V. cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus (40). All of these studies used a much higher concentration of NaOCl than the concentration used here, and no mention was made of colony morphology, but as all V. vulnificus strains treated were of clinical origin, it is likely that they were all OpS strains.

A portion of the wcrABCDFHIJK locus was originally identified as a low-identity (<25% amino acid identity; no DNA identity) homolog of the V. vulnificus group 1-like CPS operon containing wza (7, 8). The group 1-like operon is present on the larger chromosome of V. vulnificus YJ016 and CMCP6 and of Vibrio species other than V. cholerae, which does not possess homologs of this operon (7, 8). The wcr gene cluster is present on the smaller chromosome in both of the sequenced V. vulnificus strains, YJ016 and CMCP6 (8, 25). Smith and Siebeling (45) reported that wcrHI were on the same approximately 200-kb NotI fragment as the other CPS genes that they identified. High-identity homologs of only four of the other 12 CPS-related genes are present in the sequenced V. vulnificus strains, and they are on the large chromosome in both cases (8, 25); thus, the chromosomal location of the wcr genes in strain 1003(O) (OpS) remains undetermined. The wcr cluster appears to be widespread in numerous Vibrio species and has also been identified as a CPS operon in V. parahaemolyticus (16). Curiously, wcrH, wcrJ, and wcrK have no homologs in Vibrio fischeri or Vibrio splendidus, nor are wcrH and wcrJ present in any sequenced strain of V. cholerae. Also, the chromosomal location of this cluster varies in the different species and strains. The cluster is on the small chromosome of the sequenced V. parahaemolyticus (29) and V. splendidus strains, while its location appears to be mixed in the sequenced V. fischeri strain (38) and Vibrio sp. strain Ex25 (Table 6). Further, while the genes in this cluster are linked in the order shown for V. vulnificus, the gene order does not appear to be conserved across all the Vibrio species in which they have been identified (Table 6).

The presence of conserved genes in the wcrABCDFHIJK locus that may individually or collectively participate in the synthesis of multiple forms of polysaccharide is consistent with the results of our phenotypic switching assay for strain TDB3(T) (TrS), which, because of a transposon insertion in wcrI, was unable to switch to either the OpS or TrR form; thus, this mutant is apparently defective for synthesis and/or transport to the cell surface of both CPS and rEPS. The dual deficiency of both CPS expression and rEPS expression for the wcrI mutant contrasted with the phenotypic switching assay results for the wcvF rhamnosyl transferase mutant RJS2(T) (TrS) presented here, as well as those for the wcvA epimerase mutant ABZ1(T) (TrS) described previously (14); in both of the latter cases, only CPS expression was eliminated. It remains to be determined whether the wcrI glycosyltransferase gene product itself is involved in both CPS and rEPS expression or whether some of the phenotype of the TDB3(T) (TrS) mutant can instead be ascribed to a polar effect on downstream gene expression (i.e., wcrJ and wcrK) by the transposon insertion. In any event, taken together, our results and observations support the notion that genetic determinants for CPS and rEPS expression, and possibly LPS expression, are present in the wcrABCDFHIJK gene cluster.

A group 1-like CPS operon has been described for V. vulnificus (58). It was reported recently that there are at least three different genotypes that are associated with the spontaneous appearance of the TrS phenotype and that two of the three genotypes appear to be the result of accumulated deletions in the operon, which result in strains that are locked in the TrS phase (7). Although the genetic basis of the OpS-to-TrS transition in the spontaneous TrS strain AZ(T) used in our study is unknown, AZ(T) (TrS) can convert back to the OpS phenotype, although it does so infrequently, and it was the only TrS isolate tested previously that never produced an R derivative during phenotypic switching assays (14). Thus, it is unlikely that the TrS phenotype was caused by deletion of genes required for CPS expression, but it is possible that there may have been a reversible rearrangement of genes required for both CPS and rEPS in this strain. Whether such a putative rearrangement actually occurred and, if so, whether the wcrABCDFHIJK gene cluster identified here was involved remain to be determined.

Here, we demonstrated further significant differences between OpR and TrR isolates of V. vulnificus in terms of virulence in vivo, resistance to chlorine, and CPS expression. Additionally, we identified a nine-gene cluster that includes both CPS and rEPS determinants as well as possibly LPS determinants. As expression of these genes appears to be significantly greater in R variants, the role of each of the genes in biofilm formation and maintenance remains to be revealed. The exact contribution of each gene to the different exopolysaccharides, phase variation, and virulence remains to be determined, but we are continuing to perform studies to elucidate the function of each gene, as well as its regulation.


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
We thank Eric Achberger and Richard Cooper for their support and guidance. We also express our appreciation for the late V. R. Srinivasan and his encouragement and enthusiasm for identification of the genes involved in bacterial exopolysaccharide production. We thank Darren Johnson and Jill Jenkins for their assistance with SAS/STAT. Microscopy was conducted at the Socolofsky Microscopy Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University.

This research was supported by Louisiana Sea Grant College Program grant NA16RG2249 to G.S.P. The Louisiana Sea Grant Program is a part of the National Sea Grant College Program maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce.


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FOOTNOTES
 
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biological Sciences, 202 Life Sciences Building, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Phone: (225) 578-2798. Fax: (225) 578-2597. E-mail: gpettis{at}lsu.edu Back

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 22 January 2008. Back

Editor: A. Camilli


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Infection and Immunity, April 2008, p. 1485-1497, Vol. 76, No. 4
0019-9567/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01289-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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