A stealth adhesion factor contributes toVibrio vulnificuspathogenicity: Flp pili play roles in host invasion, survival in the blood stream and resistance to complement activation

AbstractThe tad operons encode the machinery required for adhesive Flp (fimbrial low-molecular-weight protein) pili biogenesis.Vibrio vulnificus, an opportunistic pathogen, harbors three distincttadloci. Among them, onlytad1locus was highly upregulated inin vivogrowing bacteria compared toin vitroculture condition. To understand the pathogenic roles of the threetadloci during infection, we constructed single, double and triple tad loci deletion mutants. Interestingly, only theΔtad123triple mutant cells exhibited significantly decreased lethality in mice. Ultrastructural observations revealed short, thin filamentous projections disappeared on theΔtad123mutant cells. Since the pilin was paradoxically non-immunogenic, a V5 tag was fused to Flp to visualize the pilin protein by using immunogold EM and immunofluorescence microscopy. TheΔtad123mutant cells showed attenuated host cell adhesion, delayed RtxA1 exotoxin secretion and subsequently impaired translocation across the intestinal epithelium compared to wild type, which could be partially complemented with each wild type operon. TheΔtad123mutant was susceptible to complement-mediated bacteriolysis, predominantly via the alternative pathway, suggesting stealth hiding role of the Tad pili. Taken together, all threetadloci cooperate to confer successful invasion ofV. vulnificusinto deeper tissue and evasion from host defense mechanisms, ultimately resulting in septicemia.Author SummaryTo understand the roles of the three Tad operons in the pathogenesis ofV. vulnificusinfection, we constructed mutant strain with single, double and triple Tad loci deletions. Employing a variety of mouse infection models coupled with molecular genetic analyses, we demonstrate here that all three Tad operons are required forV. vulnificuspathogenicity as the cryptic pili contribute to host cell and tissue invasion, survival in the blood, and resistance to complement activation.