Prophage-Related Gene VpaChn25_0724 Contributes to Cell Membrane Integrity and Growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus CHN25

is a leading seafood-borne pathogen that can cause acute gastroenteritis and even death in humans. In aquatic ecosystems, phages constantly transform bacterial communities by horizontal gene transfer. Nevertheless, biological functions of prophage-related genes in remain to be fully unveiled. Herein, for the first time, we studied one such gene encoding an unknown hypothetical protein in CHN25. This gene deletion mutant Δ was constructed by homologous recombination, and its complementary mutant Δ -com was also obtained. The Δ mutant exhibited a sever defect in growth and swimming motility particularly at lower temperatures. Biofilm formation and cytotoxicity capacity of CHN25 was significantly lowered in the absence of . Comparative secretomic analysis revealed an increase in extracellular proteins of Δ , which likely resulted from its damaged cell membrane. Comparison of transcriptome data showed twelve significantly altered metabolic pathways in Δ , suggesting inactive transport and utilization of carbon sources, repressed energy production and membrane biogenesis in . Comparative transcriptomic analysis also revealed several remarkably down-regulated key regulators in bacterial gene regulatory networks linked to the observed phenotypic variations. Overall, the results here facilitate better understanding of biological significance of prophage-related genes remaining in .