Vibrio vulnificus Cytolysin Forms Anion-selective Pores on the CPAE Cells, a Pulmonary Endothelial Cell Line

Cytolysin produced by Vibrio vulnificus has been incriminated as one of the important virulence determinants in V. vulnificus infection. Ion selectivity of cytolysin-induced pores was examined in a CPAE cell, a cell line of pulmonary endothelial cell, using inside-out patch clamp techniques. In symmetrical NaCl concentration (140 mM), intracellular or extracellular application of cytolysin formed ion-permeable pores with a single channel conductance of $37.5{\pm}4.0$ pS. The pore currents were consistently maintained after washout of cytolysin. Replacement of $Na^+$ in bath solution with monovalent ions $(K^+,\;Cs^+\;or\;TEA^+)$ or with divalent ions $(Mg^{2+},\;Ca^{2+})$ did not affect the pore currents. When the NaCl concentration in bath solution was lowered from 140 to 60 and 20 mM, the reversal potential shifted from 0 to -11.8 and -28.2 mV, respectively. The relative permeability of the cytolysin pores to anions measured at $-40\;mV\;was\;Cl^-\;=\;NO_2^-\;{\geq}\;Br^-\;=\;I^-\;> \;SCN^-\;>\;acetate^-\;>\;isethionate^-\;>\;ascorbic acid^-\;>\;EDTA^{2-},$ in descending order. The cytolysin-induced pore current was blocked by $CI^-$ channel blockers or nucleotides. These results indicate that V. vulnificus cytolysin forms anion-selective pores in CPAE cells.