Cloning and expression of the damselysin gene from Vibrio damsela

The gene encoding damselysin, an extracellular cytolysin produced by virulent Vibrio damsela strains, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. DNA sequences homologous to that of the cloned gene were detected in hemolytic strains of V. damsela but not in other hemolytic Vibrio species.