The role of rcpA gene in regulating biofilm formation and virulence in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Wenxiu Zhu; Jiaxiu Liu; Yingying Zhang; Dongyun Zhao; Shugang Li; Hanzheng Dou; Haisong Wang; Xiaodong Xia

doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.110714

The role of rcpA gene in regulating biofilm formation and virulence in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Int J Food Microbiol. 2024 Apr 21:418:110714. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.110714. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Wenxiu Zhu¹, Jiaxiu Liu¹, Yingying Zhang², Dongyun Zhao¹, Shugang Li¹, Hanzheng Dou¹, Haisong Wang³, Xiaodong Xia⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing and Safety Control, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, China.
² College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
³ Liaoning Key Lab of Lignocellulose Chemistry and BioMaterials, Liaoning Collaborative Innovation Center for Lignocellulosic Biorefinery, College of Light Industry and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing and Safety Control, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, Liaoning 116034, China. Electronic address: foodscixiaodong@dlpu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38677238
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.110714

Abstract

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus) is a common seafood-borne pathogen that can colonize the intestine of host and cause gastroenteritis. Biofilm formation by V. parahaemolyticus enhances its persistence in various environments, which poses a series of threats to food safety. This work aims to investigate the function of rcpA gene in biofilm formation and virulence of V. parahaemolyticus. Deletion of rcpA significantly reduced motility, biofilm biomass, and extracellular polymeric substances, and inhibited biofilm formation on a variety of food and food contact surfaces. In mice infection model, mice infected with ∆rcpA strain exhibited a decreased rate of pathogen colonization, a lower level of inflammatory cytokines, and less tissue damage when compared to mice infected with wild type strain. RNA-seq analysis revealed that 374 genes were differentially expressed in the rcpA deletion mutant, which include genes related to quorum sensing, flagellar system, ribosome, type VI secretion system, biotin metabolism and transcriptional regulation. In conclusion, rcpA plays a role in determining biofilm formation and virulence of V. parahaemolyticus and further research is necessitated to fully understand its function in V. parahaemolyticus.

Keywords: Biofilm formation; Flagella; RNA-seq; RcpA; Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Virulence.