Purification and Properties of the PrtV Protease from Vibrio cholerae
Author Information
Author(s): Karolis Vaitkevicius, Pramod K. Lindmark, Barbro Vaitkevicius, Rimas Rompikuntal, Tianyan Song, Wai Sun N.
Primary Institution: Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University
Hypothesis
The PrtV protease is necessary for the killing of nematodes by Vibrio cholerae.
Conclusion
The PrtV protease from Vibrio cholerae can degrade extracellular matrix components and has a cytotoxic effect on human intestinal cells.
Supporting Evidence
- The PrtV protein showed a cytotoxic effect leading to cell death in cultured human intestinal cells.
- Fibrinogen, fibronectin, and plasminogen were identified as substrates degraded by the PrtV protease.
- The PrtV protease forms of 81 or 73 kDa were stabilized by calcium ions.
Takeaway
The PrtV protein from Vibrio cholerae can break down important proteins in the body and can harm human cells.
Methodology
The PrtV protein was purified from culture supernatant and its proteolytic activities were assayed using various substrates.
Limitations
The actual substrate specificity of the PrtV protein has not been fully elucidated.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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