Characterization of a Hyaluronic Acid Utilization Locus and Identification of Two Hyaluronate Lyases in a Marine Bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus LWW-9

Xiaoyi Wang; Ziwei Wei; Hao Wu; Yujiao Li; Feng Han; Wengong Yu

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.696096

Characterization of a Hyaluronic Acid Utilization Locus and Identification of Two Hyaluronate Lyases in a Marine Bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus LWW-9

Front Microbiol. 2021 Jun 10:12:696096. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.696096. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xiaoyi Wang^{1

2}, Ziwei Wei^{1

2}, Hao Wu^{1

2}, Yujiao Li^{1

2}, Feng Han^{1

2}, Wengong Yu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Glycoscience and Glycoengineering, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
² Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.

Abstract

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a negatively charged and linear polysaccharide existing in the tissues and body fluids of all vertebrates. Some pathogenic bacteria target hyaluronic acid for adhesion and/or infection to host cells. Vibrio alginolyticus is an opportunistic pathogen related to infections of humans and marine animals, and the hyaluronic acid-degrading potential of Vibrio spp. has been well-demonstrated. However, little is known about how Vibrio spp. utilize hyaluronic acid. In this study, a marine bacterium V. alginolyticus LWW-9 capable of degrading hyaluronic acid has been isolated. Genetic and bioinformatic analysis showed that V. alginolyticus LWW-9 harbors a gene cluster involved in the degradation, transport, and metabolism of hyaluronic acid. Two novel PL8 family hyaluronate lyases, VaHly8A and VaHly8B, are the key enzymes for the degradation of hyaluronic acid. VaHly8A and VaHly8B have distinct biochemical properties, reflecting the adaptation of the strain to the changing parameters of the aquatic habitats and hosts. Based on genomic and functional analysis, we propose a model for the complete degradation of hyaluronic acid by V. alginolyticus LWW-9. Overall, our study expands our knowledge of the HA utilization paradigm within the Proteobacteria, and the two novel hyaluronate lyases are excellent candidates for industrial applications.

Keywords: Proteobacteria; Vibrio; hyaluronate lyase; hyaluronic acid; polysaccharide utilization loci.