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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2001, p. 1536-1541, Vol. 67, No. 4
Department of Molecular Microbiology & Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel
69978,1 and Department of Chemistry,
College of Staten Island, New York, and The Doctoral Program in
Chemistry of the City University of New York, Staten Island, New York
103142
Received 23 October 2000/Accepted 17 January 2001
The coral-bleaching bacterium Vibrio shiloi
biosynthesizes and secretes an extracellular peptide, referred to as
toxin P, which inhibits photosynthesis of coral symbiotic algae
(zooxanthellae). Toxin P was produced during the stationary phase when
the bacterium was grown on peptone or Casamino Acids media at 29°C.
Glycerol inhibited the production of toxin P. Toxin P was purified to
homogeneity, yielding the following 12-residue peptide:
PYPVYAPPPVVP (molecular weight, 1,295.54). The structure of
toxin P was confirmed by chemical synthesis. In the presence of 12.5 mM
NH4Cl, pure natural or synthetic toxin P (10 µM) caused a
64% decrease in the photosynthetic quantum yield of zooxanthellae
within 5 min. The inhibition was proportional to the toxin P
concentration. Toxin P bound avidly to zooxanthellae, such that
subsequent addition of NH4Cl resulted in rapid inhibition of photosynthesis. When zooxanthellae were incubated in the presence of
NH4Cl and toxin P, there was a rapid decrease in the pH (pH 7.8 to 7.2) of the bulk liquid, suggesting that toxin P facilitates transport of NH3 into the cell. It is known that uptake of
NH3 into cells can destroy the pH gradient and block
photosynthesis. This mode of action of toxin P can help explain the
mechanism of coral bleaching by V. shiloi.
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.4.1536-1541.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Proline-Rich Peptide from the Coral Pathogen
Vibrio shiloi That Inhibits Photosynthesis of
Zooxanthellae
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Molecular Microbiology & Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat
Aviv, Israel 69978. Phone: 972-3-640 9838. Fax: 972-3-642 9377. E-mail: eueqene{at}ccsg.tau.ac.il.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2001, p. 1536-1541, Vol. 67, No. 4
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.4.1536-1541.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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