ABSTRACT: Mycoplasmas are successful pathogens both in humans as well as in animals. In cattle, Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) is known to be responsible for serious health complications, including pneumonia, mastitis, and arthritis. However, M. bovis pathogenesis remains unclear. Secreted proteins of M. bovis could influence infection and modify host defense signaling pathways after they enter their extracellular space in the host micro-environment. Therefore, this study was aimed to compare the secretomes of M. bovis HB0801 virulent (P1) and attenuated (P150) strains and identify potential pathogenesis-related secreted proteins and biomarkers. The cells of P1 and P150 strains were grown in pleuropneumonia-like organism medium to log phase and then transferred to phosphate-buffered saline for 2 h. Then, the supernatant was analyzed by using label-free quantitative proteomics, and 477 potential secreted proteins were identified. Combined with the bioinformatics prediction, we found that 178 proteins were commonly secreted by the P1 and P150 strains, and 49 of them were encoded by mycoplasmal core genes. Additionally, 79 proteins were found to have a different abundance between the P1 and P150 strains. Among these proteins, 34 were more abundant and uniquely expressed in P1, indicating a possible association with the virulence of M. bovis. Three differentially secreted proteins, MbovP0145, MbovP0725, and MbovP0174, as well as one equally secreted protein, MbovP0481, as positive control and one protein of inner membrane, MbovP0310, as negative control were, respectively, cloned, expressed, and evaluated for antigenicity, subcellular location, and the secretion nature with their mouse antisera by western blotting and colony immunoblotting assay. Among them, MbovP0145 was confirmed to be more secreted by P1 than P150 strain, highly reactive with the antisera from naturally infected and P1 experimentally infected cattle but not with the P150 vaccinated calves, indicating its potential as a diagnostic antigen. In conclusion, these findings may represent the most extensive compilation of potentially secreted proteins in mycoplasma species and the largest number of differentially secreted proteins between the virulent and attenuated M. bovis strains to date and provide new insights into M. bovis pathogenesis and diagnosis.
