Proteomics Analysis Reveals Previously Uncharacterized Virulence Factors in Vibrio proteolyticus.

The pan-genome of the genus Vibrio is a potential reservoir of unidentified toxins that can provide insight into how members of this genus have successfully risen as emerging pathogens worldwide. We focused on Vibrio proteolyticus, a marine bacterium that was previously implicated in virulence toward marine animals, and characterized its interaction with eukaryotic cells. We found that this bacterium causes actin cytoskeleton rearrangements and leads to cell death. Using a proteomics approach, we identified a previously unstudied member of the leukocidin family of pore-forming toxins as the virulence factor responsible for the observed cytotoxicity in eukaryotic cells, as well as a plethora of additional putative virulence factors secreted by this bacterium. Our findings reveal a functional new clan of the leukocidin toxin superfamily and establish this pathogen as a reservoir of potential toxins that can be used for biomedical applications.