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Infection and Immunity, October 1998, p. 4851-4855, Vol. 66, No. 10
Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Sciences1 and
Health and Medical
Center,2 Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka,
Okayama 700-8530, Japan
Received 16 December 1997/Returned for modification 10 March
1998/Accepted 2 July 1998
Vibrio vulnificus is an opportunistic human pathogen
causing wound infections and septicemia, characterized by hemorrhagic and edematous damage to the skin. This human pathogen secretes a
metalloprotease (V. vulnificus protease [VVP]) as an
important virulence determinant. When several bacterial
metalloproteases including VVP were injected intradermally into dorsal
skin, VVP showed the greatest hemorrhagic activity. The level of the in vivo hemorrhagic activity of the bacterial metalloproteases was significantly correlated with that of the in vitro proteolytic activity
for the reconstituted basement membrane gel. Of two major basement
membrane components (laminin and type IV collagen), only type IV
collagen was easily digested by VVP. Additionally, the immunoglobulin G
antibody against type IV collagen, but not against laminin, showed
sufficient protection against the hemorrhagic reaction caused by VVP.
Capillary vessels are known to be stabilized by binding of the basal
surface of vascular endothelial cells to the basement membrane.
Therefore, specific degradation of type IV collagen may cause
destruction of the basement membrane, breakdown of capillary vessels,
and leakage of blood components including erythrocytes.
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Characterization of the Hemorrhagic Reaction Caused
by Vibrio vulnificus Metalloprotease, a Member of the
Thermolysin Family
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Faculty of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Okayama
700-8530, Japan. Phone: 81-86-251-7968. Fax: 81-86-251-7926. E-mail:
miyoshi{at}pheasant.pharm.okayama-u.ac.jp.
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