Molecular cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of the structural gene for the hemolytic toxin aerolysin from Aeromonas hydrophila.

The structural gene for the hemolytic toxin aerolysin has been cloned into the plasmid vectors pBR322 and pEMBL8+. The gene was localized on the hybrid plasmids by analysis of plasmids generated by transposon mutagenesis. The sequence of the first 683 bases of an insert in pEMBL8+ was determined and shown to encode the amino terminus of the protein as well as a typical signal sequence of 23 amino acids. Aerolysin is produced by E. coli cells containing the cloned aerolysin gene and it is processed normally by removal of the signal sequence, however it is not released from the cell. The protein appears to be translocated across the inner membrane of E. coli as its signal sequence is removed and the processed protein can be released by osmotic shock.