Helicobacter pylori is a human pathogen responsible for severe gastric diseases such as peptic ulcers, gastric adenocarcinoma, and gastric lymphoma. Vacuolating toxin (VacA) is crucial in facilitating the colonization of the gastric lining by inducing cell apoptosis and immune suppression. VacA inserts into membranes and forms a hexameric, anion-selective pore. Here we present a structural mode...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Helicobacter pylori has been strongly associated with peptic ulcer diseases, chronic gastritis, ulcers, and reported as a risk factor for gastric cancer, too. The vaculating cytotoxin (vacA), the cytotoxin associated genes (cagA), the induced by contact with epithelium factor antigen (iceA gene), blood adhesion binding antigen (babA2), and outer membrane protein oipA h...

The vacuolating toxin VacA, a major determinant of Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric diseases, forms anion-selective channels in artificial planar lipid bilayers. Here we show that VacA increases the anion permeability of the HeLa cell plasma membrane and determines membrane depolarization. Electrophysiological and pharmacological approaches indicated that this effect is due to the formati...

The aim of this study was to assess the genetic status of cagA, vacA subtype and iceA genotypes of Helicobacter pylori and the relationship with upper gastrointestinal diseases in Northeast China. Gastric biopsies were obtained from 378 patients with upper gastrointestinal diseases and 197 samples were used. The cagA, vacA alleles and iceA genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction....

Persistent Helicobacter pylori infection induces chronic inflammation in the human gastric mucosa, which is associated with development of peptic ulceration, gastric atrophy, and gastric adenocarcinoma. It has been postulated that secretion of immunomodulatory molecules by H. pylori facilitates bacterial persistence, and membrane vesicles (MV), which have the potential to cross the gastric epit...

The interrelationship between cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA), vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA), and Helicobacter pylori-related diseases was investigated in 155 H. pylori-infected patients. Four (7%) of 60 subjects had mixed cagA+ and cagA- H. pylori infections. The H. pylori isolates from 98.3% of 121 patients with anti-CagA antibodies were cagA+. The occurrence of cagA+ H. pylori among 76 pat...

INTRODUCTION The prevalence of H. pylori varies with geographic locations. To date there are no epidemiological data on its prevalence in Cyprus; therefore, we determined the prevalence and molecular characteristics of H. pylori infection in Cypriot patients. METHODOLOGY DNA extracted from 103 gastric biopsies was analyzed for the presence of H. pylori by PCR using primers for ureA. H. pylori...

AIMS To determine the relation among the cytotoxin associated gene (cagA) and vacuolating cytotoxin gene (vacA) status of Helicobacter pylori isolates, the associated clinical diseases, and the severity and pattern of chronic gastritis. METHODS Helicobacter pylori was cultured from gastric biopsies obtained from dyspeptic patients. DNA was extracted from the isolates and the cagA and vacA sta...

A total of 300 gastric biopsy samples and 50 Helicobacter pylori isolates were collected from Ethiopian adult dyspeptic patients. The vacA and cagA genes were detected in 90 and 79% of biopsy specimens, respectively, and in 100 and 87% of clinical isolates, respectively. Both genes were detected in 84% of the gastric biopsy samples and in 87% of the clinical isolates. Among vacA genotypes, the ...