Natural diversity in the N terminus of the mature vacuolating cytotoxin of Helicobacter pylori determines cytotoxin activity.

Vacuolating Cytotoxin of Helicobacter pylori

Vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA) is one of the most important virulence factors of H. pylori (Hp), which isthe only toxic protein that is secreted from Hp cell into the culture supernatant. The effects of VacA oneukaryotic systems is the subject of many previous and on going research studies. Intracellular targetsfor this toxin include: late endosomal and lysosomal compartments, m...

Cloning and Expression of the Heterogenic Vacuolating Cytotoxin From an Iranian Helicobacter pylori Strain

Allelic diversity of the Helicobacter pylori vacuolating cytotoxin gene in South Africa: rarity of the vacA s1a genotype and natural occurrence of an s2/m1 allele.

We describe the rarity of Helicobacter pylori strains of vacuolating cytotoxin type s1a (the type most commonly associated with peptic ulceration in the United States) among black and mixed-race South Africans. We also provide the first description of a naturally occurring strain with the vacA allelic structure s2/m1.

Correlation of Helicobacter pylori vac A s, m Region Genotypes with Different Gastrodoudenal Diseasesin East Azerbaijan Patients

Background& Aims: Gastric adenocarcinoma has been considered as an infectious disease since 1994, when the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection categorized as a definite class I human carcinogen. H. pylori uses extensive numbers of virulence factors to overcome host defence mechanisms. One independent H. pylori factor that plays an important role in determining H.pylori pathogenesisis vacu...

Mutational analysis of the Helicobacter pylori vacuolating toxin amino terminus: identification of amino acids essential for cellular vacuolation.

The functional importance of the amino terminus of the Helicobacter pylori vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA) was investigated by analyzing the relative levels of vacuolation of HeLa cells transfected with plasmids encoding wild-type and mutant forms of the toxin. Notably, VacA's intracellular activity was found to be sensitive to small truncations and internal deletions at the toxin's amino terminus...