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A 26-kDa outer membrane protein, OmpK, common to Vibrio species is the receptor for a broad-host-range vibriophage,

T Inoue1, S Matsuzaki, S Tanaka

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Kochi Medical School, Japan.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|January 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

This study identifies OmpK as the receptor for the vibriophage KVP40. OmpK is an outer membrane protein crucial for KVP40 infection in Vibrio and Photobacterium species.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Bacteriology

Background:

  • Vibriophages are viruses that infect bacteria in the Vibrio and Photobacterium genera.
  • Understanding phage-host interactions is crucial for phage therapy and microbial ecology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the specific receptor for the broad-host-range vibriophage KVP40.
  • To investigate the role of outer membrane proteins in KVP40 infection.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and characterization of a KVP40-resistant mutant (R4000) from Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
  • Analysis of outer membrane proteins in wild-type and mutant strains.
  • Inactivation assays using purified outer membrane proteins and KVP40.
  • Immunoblotting to detect OmpK and its homologs.

Main Results:

  • A KVP40-resistant mutant (R4000) lacked a 26-kDa outer membrane protein (OmpK).
  • KVP40 was inactivated by outer membrane and purified OmpK from the wild-type strain, but not from the mutant.
  • OmpK or its homologs were widely distributed in Vibrio and Photobacterium species.

Conclusions:

  • The outer membrane protein OmpK is strongly suggested to be the receptor for vibriophage KVP40.
  • OmpK plays a critical role in KVP40 binding and infection.
  • The presence of OmpK homologs suggests a conserved mechanism of KVP40 interaction across related bacterial species.

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