Xiu Lijun, Li Qiu, Tian Qianqian, Li Yingpeng, Pengsakul Theerakamol, Lin Gongshi, Yan Qingpi, Huang Lixing
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Fisheries college of Jimei university, Xiamen, Fujian, PR China.
Faculty of Medical Technology, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Aug;320(Pt 4):146102. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.146102. Epub 2025 Jul 17.
Biofilms robustly defend bacteria by impeding antimicrobial entry, and protecting against environmental stress and immune responses, thereby enhancing host colonization. Overcoming the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of biofilm infections is critical, given their clinical significance and resistance to standard treatments. Recent investigations have illuminated the pivotal role of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) in biofilm formation. This study delves into the OMVs secreted by Vibrio alginolyticus, a zoonotic species and the second largest class of pathogenic Vibrio. We successfully extracted, purified, and characterized OMVs from V. alginolyticus. Our data reveal that these OMVs not only facilitate biofilm formation but are also enriched with small RNAs (sRNAs). Bioinformatics analyses suggest that these sRNAs, characterized by distinct secondary structures and targeting various regulatory genes, may be integral to the biofilm formation process. To verify this, we constructed sRNA-deficient mutants and OMVs, then evaluated their effects on bacterial physiology, including growth, motility, extracellular matrix production, and biofilm development. Our findings demonstrate that sRNA cargos play a crucial role in these processes and modulate gene expression associated with biofilm formation. This study highlights the significant role of OMVs delivering sRNAs in regulating bacterial biofilm formation, offering new insights into bacterial pathogenesis and resistance mechanisms.
生物膜通过阻碍抗菌药物进入、抵御环境压力和免疫反应来有力地保护细菌，从而增强宿主定殖。鉴于生物膜感染的临床重要性及其对标准治疗的抗性，克服其诊断和治疗挑战至关重要。最近的研究揭示了外膜囊泡（OMV）在生物膜形成中的关键作用。本研究深入探讨了溶藻弧菌分泌的OMV，溶藻弧菌是一种人畜共患病原体，也是致病性弧菌的第二大类。我们成功地从溶藻弧菌中提取、纯化并鉴定了OMV。我们的数据表明，这些OMV不仅促进生物膜形成，而且富含小RNA（sRNA）。生物信息学分析表明，这些具有独特二级结构并靶向各种调控基因的sRNA可能是生物膜形成过程所必需的。为了验证这一点，我们构建了sRNA缺陷型突变体和OMV，然后评估它们对细菌生理学的影响，包括生长、运动性、细胞外基质产生和生物膜发育。我们的研究结果表明，sRNA货物在这些过程中起关键作用，并调节与生物膜形成相关的基因表达。本研究强调了携带sRNA的OMV在调节细菌生物膜形成中的重要作用，为细菌发病机制和抗性机制提供了新的见解。
