Helicobacter pylori type IV secretion

Bacterial type IV secretion systems are molecular machines with a remarkable repertoire of transported substrates. They are able to secrete protein toxins, to export or import DNA molecules, to directly transfer DNA to other bacterial cells, to inject proteins and DNA into plant cells, or to inject proteins into animal or human cells. Consequently, type IV secretion systems have been adopted by many pathogenic bacteria as important virulence determinants. The aim of our research projects is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of type IV secretion processes in the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. H. pylori causes gastritis, gastric or duodenal ulcers, but also malignant diseases such as MALT lymphoma or gastric adenocarcinoma, and it is a model system for chronic bacterial infections. The Cag type IV secretion system of H. pylori and its translocated effector protein CagA are considered as major pathogenicity determinants, notably for the development of gastric cancer. (more...)