Cytoskeletal rearrangements induced by Helicobacter pylori strains in epithelial cell culture: possible role of the cytotoxin.

The relationship between Helicobacter pylori adherence, cytotoxin production, and modification of the cytoskeletal structure was investigated by studying the effects of 12 H. pylori strains cocultured with Hep-2 epithelial cells. Bacterial strains were isolated from patients with peptic ulcer disease or nonulcer dyspepsia. Presence of the cag pathogenicity island and vacA subtypes of the strains were determined as was the production of vacuolating cytotoxin. We found that cytoskeletal rearrangements, as observed by confocal microscopy after double staining of the bacteria and the cell actin with Texas red and fluorescein-conjugated phalloidin, respectively, occurred essentially when the strains were cytotoxin producers and that the supernatants alone could also lead to these modifications.