Helicobacter pylori interacts with gastric epithelial cells, activating signaling pathways important for carcinogenesis. In this study we examined the role of H. pylori on cell invasion and the molecular mechanisms underlying this process. The relevance of H. pylori cag pathogenicity island-encoded type IV secretion system (T4SS), CagA, and VacA for cell invasion was also investigated. We found...

BACKGROUND Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is produced by most inflammatory cells and it is involved in inflammatory and allergic reactions. We aimed to assess the anti-PAF effects of rupatadine and levocetirizine in the upper airways. FINDINGS Healthy volunteers (HV, N = 10) and seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR, N = 10) asymptomatic patients were treated out of the pollen season with either ...

The Agrobacterium T-DNA transporter belongs to a growing class of evolutionarily conserved transporters, called type IV secretion systems (T4SSs). VirB4, 789 aa, is the largest T4SS component, providing a rich source of possible structural domains. Here, we use a variety of bioinformatics methods to predict that the C-terminal domain of VirB4 (including the Walker A and B nucleotide-binding mot...

Bartonella henselae is the causative agent of cat scratch disease (CSD), which usually presents as a self-limiting lymphadenopathy. Occasionally, the bacteria will spread and be responsible for tissue and visceral involvement. Two B. henselae genotypes (genotypes I and II) have been described to be responsible for uncomplicated CSD on the basis of 16S rRNA sequence analysis. A type IV secretion...

The immune system must discriminate between pathogenic and nonpathogenic microbes in order to initiate an appropriate response. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) detect microbial components common to both pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria, whereas Nod-like receptors (NLRs) sense microbial components introduced into the host cytosol by the specialized secretion systems or pore-forming toxins of bac...

Conjugative transfer is a major threat to global health since it contributes the spread of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors among commensal pathogenic bacteria. To allow their transfer, mobile genetic elements including Integrative Elements (ICEs) use specialized conjugative apparatus related Type IV secretion systems (Conj-T4SS). Therefore, Conj-T4SSs are excellent targets for...

The type IV secretion system of Helicobacter pylori (Cag-T4SS) is composed of ~ 27 components including a VirB8 homolog, CagV. We have characterized CagV and reported that it is an inner membrane protein and, like VirB8, forms a homodimer. Its stability is not dependent on the other Cag components and the absence of cagV affects the stability of only CagI, a protein involved in pilus formation....

The bacteria causing Legionnaires' disease, Legionella pneumophila, replicate intracellularly within unique Legionella-containing vacuoles (LCVs). LCV formation involves a type IV secretion system (T4SS) that translocates effector proteins into host cells. We show that the T4SS effector RidL localizes to LCVs, supports intracellular bacterial growth, and alters retrograde trafficking, in which ...