Purification and characterization of Vibrio metschnikovii cytolysin.

An extracellular cytolysin produced by Vibrio metschnikovii was purified by acid precipitation, phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B chromatography, and rechromatography on a phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B column and high-performance liquid chromatography on a Mono Q (anion-exchange) column. The purified cytolysin had a molecular weight of 50,000 and an isoelectric point of 5.1. It was inactivated by heating at 60 degrees C for 5 min and was inhibited by Zn2+, Cu2+, and high concentrations of cholesterol. Lysis of calf erythrocytes by cytolysin was temperature dependent and occurred only above 18 degrees C. Moreover, no lysis was observed at high concentrations of erythrocytes, suggesting that the cytolysin lyses erythrocytes by a multihit mechanism. This cytolysin had no immunological cross-reactivities with hemolysins from other Vibrio species tested, indicating that it is a new cytolysin. V. metschnikovii cytolysin lysed erythrocytes from several animal species (calf, rabbit, guinea pig, mouse, human, sheep, chicken, and horse) and cultured cells (Vero and Chinese hamster ovary), caused fluid accumulation in the intestines of infant mice, and increased vascular permeability in rabbit skin.