Activation of the hole-forming toxin aerolysin by extracellular processing.

A precursor-product relationship between aerolysin and a protein with a higher molecular weight was observed in culture supernatants of Aeromonas hydrophila. The larger protein was isolated by ammonium sulfate precipitation and ion-exchange and hydroxyapatite chromatography and compared with purified aerolysin. It was at least 250 times less hemolytic than aerolysin. Both proteins had the same amino acid sequence at the amino terminus. Cyanogen bromide fragments obtained from the two were identical except that each protein contained one unique fragment, and the fragment from the larger protein was 2,500 daltons larger than the fragment obtained from aerolysin. Treatment with trypsin or with an extracellular Aeromonas protease resulted in rapid conversion of the larger protein to a form corresponding in molecular weight and activity to aerolysin. The results indicate that aerolysin is exported to the culture supernatant as a protoxin which is later activated by proteolytic removal of a peptide from the C terminus.