Helicobacter pylori VacA Toxin
Timothy L. Cover and John C. Atherton
from: Microbial Toxins: Current Research and Future Trends (Edited by: Thomas Proft). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2009)
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori, a Gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the human stomach, secretes a toxin known as VacA. This toxin was initially identified based on its ability to cause vacuolation in cultured gastric epithelial cells. More recent studies have shown that VacA also causes several other alterations in gastric epithelial cells and that VacA targets multiple types of immune cells. Most VacA-induced cellular alterations are attributable to insertion of the toxin into cellular membranes and the formation of membrane channels. In this chapter, we highlight recent progress in understanding three features of VacA: (i) structural properties of VacA, (ii) targeting of T lymphocytes by VacA, and (iii) diversity among VacA proteins expressed by different H. pylori strains read more ...
