title: Evolution of the Helicobacter pylori vacuolating cytotoxin in a human stomach.
abstract: We describe two subclones of Helicobacter pylori, isolated contemporaneously from a human stomach, which differ markedly in the vacuolating cytotoxin gene, vacA, but whose near identity in sequences outside this locus implies a very recent common origin. The differences are consistent with homologous recombination with DNA from another strain and result in a changed vacA midregion and, importantly, in changed toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Wolfson Digestive Diseases Centre, University Hospital, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aviles-Jimenez
authors.forename: Darren P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Letley
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Valencia
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Salama
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Atherton
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C074689:VacA protein, Helicobacter pylori