OmpA is an adhesion factor of Aeromonas veronii, an optimistic pathogen that habituates in carp intestinal tract.

Abstract

AIMS: In the present study, we focused on one of the Aeromonas veronii isolates that exhibited marked adhesion onto carp intestine and studied its membrane-associated proteins for their possible involvement in mucosal adhesion. METHODS AND RESULTS: We isolated a strain of Aer. veronii (CWP11) that exhibited a high degree of temperature-dependent adhesion activity onto carp intestinal tract and studied its adhesion factor. A proteomic analysis of the membrane-associated fraction showed the presence of multiple proteins that were specifically expressed in CWP11 cells cultured at 25 degrees C. Of these, a 30 kDa protein was identified to be OmpA by a mass fingerprint analysis. Cloning and nucleotide sequencing of the ompA region of CWP11 revealed the presence of two tandem ompA homologues (ompAI-ompAII). Escherichia coli that expressed either OmpAI or OmpAII exhibited marked adhesion onto carp intestinal surface. Disruption of ompAI by a homologous recombination technique resulted in marked reduction of the adhesion activity in CWP11. CONCLUSION: The OmpA homologue plays an important role in the adhesion of the Aer. veronii strain onto the surface of intestinal tract. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: We successfully identified an OmpA homologue to be an adhesion factor of Aer. veronii, an optimistic pathogen that habituates in carp intestinal tract.