Helicobacter pylori PqqE is a new virulence factor that cleaves junctional adhesion molecule A and disrupts gastric epithelial integrity

Helicobacter pylori infects approximately half of the world's population and is the strongest risk factor for peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer, representing a major global health concern. H. pylori persistently colonizes the gastric epithelium, where it subverts the highly organized structures that maintain epithelial integrity. Here, a unique strategy used by H. pylori to disrupt the gastric epithelial junctional adhesion molecule-A (JAM-A) is disclosed, using various experimental models that include gastric cell lines, primary human gastric cells, and biopsy specimens of infected and non-infected individuals. H. pylori preferentially cleaves the cytoplasmic domain of JAM-A at Alanine 285. Cells stably transfected with full-length JAM-A or JAM-A lacking the cleaved sequence are used in a range of functional assays, which demonstrate that the H. pylori cleaved region is critical to the maintenance of the epithelial barrier and of cell-cell adhesion. Notably, by combining chromatography techniques and mass spectrometry, PqqE (HP1012) is purified and identified as the H. pylori virulence factor that cleaves JAM-A, uncovering a previously unreported function for this bacterial protease. These findings propose a novel mechanism for H. pylori to disrupt epithelial integrity and functions, breaking new ground in the understanding of the pathogenesis of this highly prevalent and clinically relevant infection.

Automated summary

Helicobacter pylori infects approximately half of the world's population and is a major risk factor for peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. It disrupts epithelial integrity by targeting the junctional adhesion molecule-A (JAM-A) and uses a unique strategy to do so. This study identified PqqE (HP1012) as the virulence factor responsible for cleaving JAM-A, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of this infection.