Project description:Vibrio ordalii is the causative agent of atypical vibriosis in salmonids cultured in Chile. While extensive research has provided valuable insights into V. ordalii through phenotypic, antigenic, and genetic typing, as well as various virulence mechanisms (e.g., capsular material, iron-uptake systems, and outer membrane vesicles [OMVs]), proteomic characterization remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to advance the proteomic knowledge of Chilean V. ordalii Vo-LM-18 and its OMVs, which have been extensively characterized in several studies and have demonstrated their virulence. Using Nano-UHPLC-LC-MS/MS, we identified 2,242 proteins in the bacterium and 1,755 proteins in its OMVs. Among these, 644 unique proteins were detected in V. ordalii Vo-LM-18, 156 unique proteins were found in its OMVs, and 1,596 proteins were shared between both components. bioinformatics compartment prediction (PSORT algorithm) revealed that the major categories in the OMVs were similar to those in the bacteria (i.e., cytoplasmic and cytoplasmic membrane proteins), though with different proportions. Functional annotation with Gene Ontology identified 37 biological pathways in V. ordalii Vo-LM-18 and 28 in its OMVs. Proteins associated with transport, transcription, and virulence were predominant in both the bacteria and the vesicles. Comparison between the strain Vo-LM-18 and its OMVs showed evident differences in protein expression, with OMVs expressing a higher number of virulence-associated proteins, including those related to iron- and heme-uptake mechanisms. Notable pathways in the bacteria included flagellum assembly, heme group-associated proteins, and protein biosynthesis. This proteomic analysis also represents the first detection of RTX toxin in a V. ordalii strain (Vo-LM-18) and its vesicles. Our results highlight the crucial role of OMVs in the pathogenesis and adaptation of V. ordalii, suggesting their potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for bacterial infections.
Project description:Terahertz (THz) technology has emerged for biomedical applications such as scanning, molecular spectroscopy, and medical imaging. However, the biological effect of THz radiation is not fully understood. Non-thermal effects of THz radiation were investigated by applying a femtosecond-terahertz (fs-THz) pulse to mouse skin. Analysis of the genome-wide expression profile in fs-THz-irradiated skin indicated that wound responses were predominantly through NFκB1- and Smad3/4-mediated transcriptional activation. Repeated fs-THz radiation delayed the closure of mouse skin punch wounds due to up-regulation of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). These findings suggest that fs-THz radiation provokes a wound-like signal in skin with increased expression of TGF-β and activation of its downstream target genes, which perturbs the wound healing process in vivo.