Helicobacter pylori CagA targets PAR1/MARK kinase to disrupt epithelial cell polarity

CagA is the main virulence factor of Helicobacter pylori and is delivered directly by the bacterium into epithelial cells where it interferes with cell signalling. Here Hatekeyama and colleagues show that CagA binds to the polarity protein, PAR1, inhibiting its phosphorylation and disrupting epithelial cell polarity: this study provides the first molecular link between a human pathogen and the PAR cell polarity machinery.