Work

When VacA Meets Immune Cells: Beyond Vacuolation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA) is a critical virulence factor of Helicobacter pylori and is closely associated with chronic gastric diseases and gastric cancer. This review systematically summarizes the gene polymorphism, protein structure, functional characteristics, cellular receptors, and vacuolation mechanism of VacA. VacA interacts with diverse immune cells including T cells, B cells, macrophages, dendritic cells and neutrophils, reshaping the immune microenvironment to facilitate the immune evasion and persistent colonization of H. pylori. The genotypic polymorphisms of VacA correlate with the severity of gastric lesions and gastric cancer risk. At present, VacA can be applied in the auxiliary risk stratification of gastric cancer and rapid virulence genotyping. Nevertheless, specific inhibitors and vaccines targeting VacA remain in pre-clinical exploration and are not routinely used in clinical practice. Further investigation into its immunomodulatory molecular mechanisms will provide novel insights for the prevention and treatment of H. pylori-associated diseases.

Source: Biomolecules

DOI: 10.3390/biom16111552

Authors: Yi Teng, Hewei Luan, Dongwei Zhu, Shengjun Wang

Institutions: Jiangsu University, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University

Language: English

Topic: Helicobacter pylori-related gastroenterology studies

Subfield: Gastroenterology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,258