Expression of collagenase in Flavobacterium psychrophilumisolated from cold-water disease-affected ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis)

The collagenase activity and the fpcolgene were examined in Flavobacterium psychrophilumisolates from cold-water disease (CWD)-affected ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis. Collagenase expression was closely related to the accumulated mortality of CWD-affected ayu. RT-qPCR and bacterial challenge experiments showed that F. psychrophilumayu isolate WA-1 expressed the fpcolgene more actively and was more virulent than ayu isolate WA-2. The amago (Oncorhynchus masou) isolate WB-1, which possesses a pseudo-fpcolgene, was not harmful to ayu. Hitherto, the well-studied metalloproteases Fpp1 and Fpp2 have been considered virulence factors. However, the most virulent isolate against ayu (WA-1) showed no Fpp activity because of a deletion mutation or an insertion of a transposon in the fppgenes. The less virulent WA-2 isolate showed only Fpp1 activity. Taken together, these results suggest that collagenolytic activity, but not Fpp activity, is related to the virulence of F. psychrophilumisolates in CWD-affected ayu.