Helicobacter pullorum cytolethal distending toxin targets vinculin and cortactin and triggers formation of lamellipodia in intestinal epithelial cells.

Helicobacter pullorum, a bacterium initially isolated from poultry, has been associated with human digestive disorders. However, the factor responsible for its cytopathogenic effects on epithelial cells has not been formally identified. The cytopathogenic alterations induced by several human and avian H.