Comparative proteomic analysis reveals novel potential virulence factors ofAeromonas veronii

Aeromonas veroniiis an important zoonotic and aquatic pathogen. An increasing number of reports indicate that it has caused substantial economic losses in the aquaculture industry, in addition to threatening human health. However, little is known about its pathogenesis. Exploration of new virulence factors ofA. veroniiwould be helpful for further understanding its pathogenesis. Hence, we comparatively analyzed the proteomes of virulent, attenuated, and avirulent strains ofA. veroniiusing tandem mass tag (TMT) protein labeling and found numerous proteins either up- or downregulated in the virulent strain. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses showed that these differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were involved mainly in pathways associated with bacterial chemotaxis and microbial metabolism in diverse environments. Furthermore, the expression levels of lysine decarboxylase, endoribonuclease, maltoporin, pullulanase, and aerolysin were positively correlated with the virulence of the strains, suggesting that their function may be closely related to the virulence ofA. veronii. The results of qRT-PCR and multiple reaction monitoring for some DEPs were consistent with the results of TMT protein labeling. These results suggest that these DEPs may be novel potential virulence factors and will help to further understand the pathogenesis ofA. veronii.

Automated summary

The study compared the proteomes of virulent, attenuated, and avirulent strains of A. veronii and identified differentially expressed proteins mainly involved in pathways associated with bacterial chemotaxis and microbial metabolism. The expression levels of certain proteins were positively correlated with the virulence of strains, suggesting their potential role as virulence factors. The results of the study may contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of A. veronii.