Classification of Cutibacterium acnes at phylotype level by MALDI-MS proteotyping

Cutibacterium acnes is a major commensal human skin bacteria. It is a producer of propionic acids that maintain skin acidic pH to inhibit the growth of pathogens. On the other hand, it is also associated with diseases such as acne vulgaris and sarcoidosis. C. acnes strains have been classified into six phylotypes using DNA-based approaches. Because several characteristic features of C. acnes vary according to the phylotype, the development of a practical method to identify these phylotypes is needed. For rapid identification of phylotypes for C. acnes strains, a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) fingerprinting technique has been applied; however, some phylotypes have not been discriminated. We developed a high-throughput protein purification method to detect biomarker proteins by ultrafiltration. MALDI-MS proteotyping using profiling of identified biomarker peaks was applied for the classification of 24 strains of C. acnes, and these were successfully classified into the correct phylotypes. This is a promising method that allows the discrimination of C. acnes phylotypes independent of a DNA-based approach.