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The vacuolating toxin of Helicobacter pylori mimicks the CFTR‐mediated chloride conductance 1
Author(s) -
Campello Silvia,
Tombola Francesco,
Cabrini Giulio,
Zoratti Mario
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(02)03656-6
Subject(s) - helicobacter pylori , toxin , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , biology , medicine , gastroenterology
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by defects of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), which acts both as an anion‐selective channel and as a regulator of other proteins. The relative contribution of these two functions in CF disease is debated. The toxin VacA forms channels with properties similar to those of the CFTR, and we report here that it can insert into the membrane of various cells originating from respiratory epithelia, generating a chloride conductance comparable to that produced by activation of the CFTR. VacA may therefore become a valuable tool in the study of CF pathogenesis.