Cloning, Expression, Purification and Toxicity Evaluation of Helicobacter pylori Outer Inflammatory Protein A

The Helicobacter pylori outer membrane proteins play an important role in pathogenesis; the outer inflammatory protein A (OipA) is one of these proteins which play the main role in the development of inflammation. In this study, purification of recombinant H. pylori OipA was performed by Ni–NTA affinity chromatography. Gastric carcinoma epithelial cells (AGS cell) were treated by different concentrations of recombinant OipA for various lengths of time and cell viability was evaluated by the viability assay. Statistical analysis showed that OipA had toxic effects on AGS cells in a concentration of 500 ng/ml after 24 and 48 h, and this toxic dose was 256 ng/ml after 72 h. OipA had direct toxic effects on gastric epithelial cells and the toxicity was observed to depend on time and dose of H. pylori exposure. Attachment of H. pylori to gastric epithelial cells is a key part in the pathogenesis and enables H. pylori to damage the epithelial cells with OipA.     

EPs® 7630, an extract from Pelargonium sidoides roots inhibits adherence of Helicobacter pylori to gastric epithelial cells

Helicobacter pylori specifically adheres to gastric host cells, mainly based on carbohydrate-mediated cell–cell interaction. The extract of Pelargonium sidoides roots (EPs^® 7630), a South African herbal remedy, is currently used to treat acute bronchitis. EPs^® 7630 prevents bacteria from attaching to cell membranes. Therefore, the ability of EPs^® 7630 to interfere with H. pylori growth and adhesion to gastric epithelial cells (AGS cells) was tested in vitro. EPs^® 7630 inhibited H. pylori growth and with higher potency adhesion to gastric AGS cells. EPs^® 7630 (50 and 100 μg/ml) reduced bacterial count attached to AGS cells by 77% and 91%, respectively. The results suggest that the mode of action of EPs^® 7630 is mainly related to its anti-adhesive activity.     

VCP Phosphorylation-Dependent Interaction Partners Prevent Apoptosis in Helicobacter pylori-Infected Gastric Epithelial Cells

Previous studies have demonstrated that valosin-containing protein (VCP) is associated with H. pylori-induced gastric carcinogenesis. By identifying the interactome of VCP overexpressed in AGS cells using a subtractive proteomics approach, we aimed to characterize the cellular responses mediated by VCP and its functional roles in H. pylori-associated gastric cancer. VCP immunoprecipitations followed by proteomic analysis identified 288 putative interacting proteins, 18 VCP-binding proteins belonged to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. H. pylori infection increased the interaction between Akt and VCP, Akt-dependent phosphorylation of VCP, levels of ubiquitinated proteins, and aggresome formation in AGS cells. Furthermore, phosphorylated VCP co-localized with the aggresome, bound ubiquitinated proteins, and increased the degradation of cellular regulators to protect H. pylori-infected AGS cells from apoptosis. Our study demonstrates that VCP phosphorylation following H. pylori infection promotes both gastric epithelial cell survival, mediated by the PI3K/Akt pathway, and the degradation of cellular regulators. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms of H. pylori infection induced gastric carcinogenesis.     

Comparative proteomics analysis of sarcosine insoluble outer membrane proteins from clarithromycin resistant and sensitive strains of Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori causes disease manifestations in humans including chronic gastric and peptic ulcers, gastric cancer, and lymphoid tissue lymphoma. Increasing rates of H. pylori clarithromycin resistance has led to higher rates of disease development. Because antibiotic resistance involves modifications of outer membrane proteins (OMP) in other Gram-negative bacteria, this study focuses on identification of H. pylori OMP’s using comparative proteomic analyses of clarithromycin-susceptible and -resistant H. pylori strains. Comparative proteomics analyses of isolated sarcosine-insoluble OMP fractions from clarithromycin-susceptible and -resistant H. pylori strains were performed by 1) one dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis protein separation and 2) in-gel digestion of the isolated proteins and mass spectrometry analysis by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Iron-regulated membrane protein, UreaseB, EF-Tu, and putative OMP were down-regulated; HopT (BabB) transmembrane protein, HofC, and OMP31 were up-regulated in clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori. Western blotting and real time PCR, respectively, validated UreaseB subunit and EF-Tu changes at the protein level, and mRNA expression of HofC and HopT. This limited proteomic study provides evidence that alteration of the outer membrane proteins’ profile may be a novel mechanism involved in clarithromycin resistance in H. pylori.     

Identification of 3′,4′,5′-trimethoxychalcone analogues as potent inhibitors of Helicobacter pylori-induced inflammation in human gastric epithelial cells

Efforts to identify potent small molecule inhibitors of Helicobacter pylori led to the evaluation of 23 3′,4′,5′-trimethoxychalcone analogues. Some of the compounds displayed potent antibacterial activity against H. pylori. Three most active and selective compounds 1, 7, and 13 also showed the bactericide activity against the reference as well as multidrug-resistant strains of H. pylori. Additionally, the aforementioned three compounds potentially inhibited the H. pylori adhesion and invasion to human gastric epithelial (AGS) cells. Furthermore, these selective compounds inhibited the H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation by reduced inflammatory mediator’s nuclear factor kappa B activation, and the secretion of interleukin-8.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicobacter pylori</Emphasis> cytotoxin CagA is essential for suppressing host heat shock protein expression

Bacterial infections typically elicit a strong Heat Shock Response (HSR) in host cells. However, the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori has the unique ability to repress this response, the mechanism of which has yet to be elucidated. This study sought to characterize the underlying mechanisms by which H. pylori down-modulates host HSP expression upon infection. Examination of isogenic mutant strains of H. pylori defective in components of the type IV secretion system (T4SS), identified the secretion substrate, CagA, to be essential for down-modulation of the HSPs HSPH1 (HSP105), HSPA1A (HSP72), and HSPD1 (HSP60) upon infection of the AGS gastric adenocarcinoma cell line. Ectopic expression of CagA by transient transfection was insufficient to repress HSP expression in AGS or HEK293T cells, suggesting that additional H. pylori factors are required for HSP repression. RT-qPCR analysis of HSP gene expression in AGS cells infected with wild-type H. pylori or isogenic cagA-deletion mutant found no significant change to account for reduced HSP levels. In summary, this study identified CagA to be an essential bacterial factor for H. pylori-mediated suppression of host HSP expression. The novel finding that HSPH1 is down-modulated by H. pylori further highlights the unique ability of H. pylori to repress the HSR within host cells. Elucidation of the mechanism by which H. pylori achieves HSP repression may prove to be beneficial in the identification of novel mechanisms to inhibit the HSR pathway and provide further insight into the interactions between H. pylori and the host gastric epithelium.     

Use of selected lactic acid bacteria in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection

Helicobacter pylori is among the major pathogenic bacteria that cause chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer disease and is related to the development of gastric cancer. Several chemicals, including antibiotics, have been used to eradicate H. pylori; however, they do not always curb the infection. Ten representative type strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were screened for antagonism toward H. pylori via inhibition of urease activity. Strains inhibiting the binding of H. pylori to human gastric cell line cells and suppressing H. pylori-induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) production were also screened. Of these, Pediococcus pentosaseus (SL4), which inhibited the adhesion of H. pylori to MKN-45 gastric cancer cells, Bifidobacterium longum (BG7), with urease inhibiting activity, and Lactococcus lactis (SL3), and Enterococcus faecalis (SL5), which suppressed H. pylori-induced IL-8 production within MKN-45 and AGS cells, were selected. In mouse model, these LAB stains in combination significantly suppressed IL-8 levels in serum. Gastric pH also recovered to normal values after the administration of these LAB. These stains effectively suppressed H. pylori viability, although not to the extent of antibiotic treatment. When used as probiotics, LAB may help decrease the occurrence of gastritis and reduce the risk of H. pylori infection without, inducing side effects.     

Helicobacter pylori promotes eukaryotic protein translation by activating phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/mTOR

The innate immune response elicited by Helicobacter pylori in the human gastric mucosa involves a range of cellular signalling pathways, including those implicated in metabolism regulation. In this study, we analysed H. pylori-induced PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling, which regulates glycolysis and protein synthesis and associates thereby with cellular energy- and nutrients-consuming processes such as growth and proliferation. The immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that Akt kinase phosphorylation is abundant in gastric biopsies obtained from gastritis, gastric adenoma and adenocarcinoma patients. Infection with H. pylori led to the phosphorylation of Akt effectors mTOR and S6 in a type 4 secretion system (T4SS)-independent manner in AGS cells. We observed that the activation of these molecules was dependent on PI3K and the Src family tyrosine kinases. Furthermore, H. pylori induced the phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and eIF4E and suppressed the phosphorylation of eEF2, which are important regulators of protein synthesis. Inhibition of PI3K and Akt kinase prevented the phosphorylation of 4E-BP1, suggesting that PI3K signalling is involved in the regulation of translation initiation during H. pylori infection. Metabolic labelling showed that infected cells had higher rates of [³⁵S]methionine/cysteine incorporation, and this effect could be prevented using LY294002, an PI3K inhibitor. Thus, H. pylori activates PI3K/Akt signalling, mTOR, eIFs and protein translation, which might impact H. pylori-related gastric pathophysiology.     

Helicobacter pylori Salvages Purines from Extracellular Host Cell DNA Utilizing the Outer Membrane-Associated Nuclease NucT

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterial pathogen that establishes life-long infections in humans, and its presence in the gastric epithelium is strongly associated with gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. Having evolved in this specific gastric niche for hundreds of thousands of years, this microbe has become dependent on its human host. Bioinformatic analysis reveals that H. pylori has lost several genes involved in the de novo synthesis of purine nucleotides, and without this pathway present, H. pylori must salvage purines from its environment in order to grow. While the presence and abundance of free purines in various mammalian tissues has been loosely quantified, the concentration of purines present within the gastric mucosa remains unknown. There is evidence, however, that a significant amount of extracellular DNA is present in the human gastric mucosal layer as a result of epithelial cell turnover, and this DNA has the potential to serve as an adequate purine source for gastric purine auxotrophs. In this study, we characterize the ability of H. pylori to grow utilizing only DNA as a purine source. We show that this ability is independent of the ComB DNA uptake system, and that H. pylori utilization of DNA as a purine source is largely influenced by the presence of an outer membrane-associated nuclease (NucT). A ΔnucT mutant exhibits significantly reduced extracellular nuclease activity and is deficient in growth when DNA is provided as the sole purine source in laboratory growth media. These growth defects are also evident when this nuclease mutant is grown in the presence of AGS cells or in purine-free tissue culture medium that has been conditioned by AGS cells in the absence of fetal bovine serum. Taken together, these results indicate that the salvage of purines from exogenous host cell DNA plays an important role in allowing H. pylori to meet its purine requirements for growth.     

Helicobacter pylori cag Pathogenicity Island (cagPAI) Involved in Bacterial Internalization and IL-8 Induced Responses via NOD1- and MyD88-Dependent Mechanisms in Human Biliary Epithelial Cells

Helicobacter pylori infection has been proposed to be associated with various diseases of the hepatobiliary tract, including cancer of the bile duct epithelial cells (cholangiocarcinoma, CCA). The ability of H. pylori bacteria to cause pathogenic effects in these cells has, however, yet to be investigated. Given that the cag pathogenicity island (cagPAI) is required for H. pylori pathogenesis in gastric epithelial cells, we investigated wild-type and cag mutant strains for their ability to adhere, be internalized and induce pro-inflammatory responses in two bile duct epithelial cell lines derived from cases of CCA. The findings from these experiments were compared to results obtained with the well-characterized AGS gastric cancer cell line. We showed that the cagPAI encodes factors involved in H. pylori internalization in CCA cells, but not for adhesion to these cells. Consistent with previous studies in hepatocytes, actin polymerization and α5β1 integrin may be involved in H. pylori internalization in CCA cells. As for AGS cells, we observed significantly reduced levels of NF-κB activation and IL-8 production in CCA cells stimulated with either cagA, cagL or cagPAI bacteria, when compared with wild-type bacteria. Importantly, these IL-8 responses could be inhibited via either pre-treatment of cells with antibodies to α5β1 integrins, or via siRNA-mediated knockdown of the innate immune signaling molecules, nucleotide oligomerization domain 1 (NOD1) and myeloid differentiation response gene 88 (MyD88). Taken together, the data demonstrate that the cagPAI is critical for H. pylori pathogenesis in bile duct cells, thus providing a potential causal link for H. pylori in biliary tract disease.     

Antiadhesive Properties of Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) Immature Fruit Extract against Helicobacter pylori Adhesion

Background

Traditional Asian and African medicine use immature okra fruits (Abelmoschus esculentus) as mucilaginous food to combat gastritis. Its effectiveness is due to polysaccharides that inhibit the adhesion of Helicobacter pylori to stomach tissue. The present study investigates the antiadhesive effect in mechanistic detail.

Methodology

A standardized aqueous fresh extract (Okra FE) from immature okra fruits was used for a quantitative in vitro adhesion assay with FITC-labled H. pylori J99, 2 clinical isolates, AGS cells, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Bacterial adhesins affected by FE were pinpointed using a dot-blot overlay assay with immobilized Lewis^b, sialyl-Lewis^a, H-1, laminin, and fibronectin. ¹²⁵I-radiolabeled Okra FE polymer served for binding studies to different H. pylori strains and interaction experiments with BabA and SabA. Iron nanoparticles with different coatings were used to investigate the influence of the charge-dependence of an interaction on the H. pylori surface.

Principal findings

Okra FE dose-dependently (0.2 to 2 mg/mL) inhibited H. pylori binding to AGS cells. FE inhibited the adhesive binding of membrane proteins BabA, SabA, and HpA to its specific ligands. Radiolabeled compounds from FE bound non-specifically to different strains of H. pylori, as well as to BabA/SabA deficient mutants, indicating an interaction with a still-unknown membrane structure in the vicinity of the adhesins. The binding depended on the charge of the inhibitors. Okra FE did not lead to subsequent feedback regulation or increased expression of adhesins or virulence factors.

Conclusion

Non-specific interactions between high molecular compounds from okra fruits and the H. pylori surface lead to strong antiadhesive effects.     

IL-22 Negatively Regulates Helicobacter pylori-Induced CCL20 Expression in Gastric Epithelial Cells

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects the human gastric mucosa and causes various gastric diseases. H. pylori infection induces the production of inflammatory chemokine CCL20 in gastric mucosa and leads to gastric inflammation. Given that the IL-22/IL-22R axis plays a critical role in the regulation of homeostasis and inflammation of epithelial cells at barrier surfaces, we investigated the effect of IL-22 on CCL20 expression induced by H. pylori. We demonstrated that H. pylori infection of the gastric epithelia-derived AGS cells significantly induced CCL20 expression and the induction was inhibited by IL-22. Functional analysis of the CCL20 promoter revealed that the H. pylori-induced CCL20 expression required the activation of NF-κB, and that IL-22 inhibited the induction by attenuating NF-κB activation. Knockdown of endogenous STAT3 by either short interfering RNAs or a short hairpin RNA significantly reduced the inhibitory effect of IL-22. Furthermore, STAT3 phosphorylation elicited by IL-22 was crucial for the inhibition of H. pylori-induced CCL20 expression. Consistent with the in vitro data showing that IL-22 negatively regulated H. pylori-induced CCL20 expression in gastric epithelial cells, studies on the tissue sections from patients with H. pylori infection also revealed an inverse association of IL-22 expression and CCL20 expression in vivo. Together, our findings suggest that IL-22 plays a role in the control of overproduction of the inflammatory chemokine and thus may protect the gastric mucosa from inflammation-mediated damage.     

Inhibition of growth and adhesion ofHelicobacter pylori using egg yolk antibodies

Helicobacter pylori is known as a key pathogen for chronic gastric and duodenal ulcers. Egg yolk antibody, IgY produced from chicken immunized withH. pylori antigen was tested for the inhibition of growth and adhesion ofH. pylori to gastric epithelial cell, AGS. The colony forming ofH. pylori was repressed by 30% using 1 mg/mL of IgY while that ofE. coli was only 7% with the same amount of IgY, which showed the growth inhibition ofH. pylori was mainly due to the specific interaction between IgY andH. pylori. The inhibition ofH. pylori adhesion to AGS was as high as 90% using 0.5 mg/mL of antibody only. More than 80% ofH. pylori attached to AGS could be detached treating with the same amount of IgY for one and a half hr. However, this effect was severely dependant on theH. pylori strains tested. The strain used for immunization of chicken was very sensitive to the antibody treatment but changing the test strain generally showed a variation in adhesion inhibition between 15 and 80%. Further studies are necessary to employ the egg yolk antibodies for the treatment ofH. pylori in vivo.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus paracasei</Emphasis> strain 06TCa19 suppresses inflammatory chemokine induced by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicobacter pylori</Emphasis> in human gastric epithelial cells

Helicobacter (H.) pylori infection is an important risk factor for gastric cancer that causes gastric inflammation. Inflammatory chemokines such as interleukin (IL)-8 and regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) are elevated in the gastric mucosa by H. pylori. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus paracasei strain 06TCa19, a probiotic strain, on IL-8 and RANTES expression and production induced by H. pylori using human gastric epithelial cell lines. Strain 06TCa19 was shown to suppress H. pylori-mediated elevation of gene expression related to these chemokines in MKN45 cells. The strain also suppressed the increase in IL-8 and RANTES products induced by H. pylori in AGS cells as well as in MKN45 cells. In MKN45 cells inoculated with H. pylori, strain 06TCa19 was shown to downregulate the activation of NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Additionally, the level of the CagA virulence protein of H. pylori in the MKN45 cells and the number of viable H. pylori adhering to MKN45 cells decreased with the addition of strain 06TCa19. Moreover, the strain 06TCa19 notably increased lactic acid in the supernatant of MKN45 cells. Thus, lactic acid released from strain 06TCa19 might have inhibited the adhesion of H. pylori to MKN45 cells and prevented the insertion of H. pylori CagA into the cells, and elevation of IL-8 and RANTES genes and proteins might be suppressed by downregulating the NF-κB and p38 MAPK pathways. Therefore, use of strain 06TCa19 may prevent H. pylori-associated gastric inflammation.     

Profiling and identification of eubacteria in the stomach of Mongolian gerbils with and without Helicobacter pylori infection

Background. Mongolian gerbils are frequently used to study Helicobacter pylori‐induced gastritis and its consequences. The presence of an indigenous bacterial flora with suppressive effect on H. pylori may cause difficulties with establishing this experimental model. Aim. The aim of the present study was to determine bacterial profiles in the stomach of Mongolian gerbils with and without (controls) H. pylori infection. Methods. Gastric tissue from H. pylori ATCC 43504 and CCUG 17874 infected and control animals were subjected to microbial culturing and histology. In addition, gastric mucosal samples from H. pylori ATCC 43504 infected and control animals were analyzed for bacterial profiling by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE), cloning and pyrosequencing of 16S rDNA variable V3 region derived PCR amplicons. Results. Oral administration of H. pylori ATCC 43504, but not CCUG 17874, induced colonization and gastric inflammation in the stomach of Mongolian gerbils. Temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) and partial 16S rDNA pyrosequencing revealed the presence of DNA representing a mixed bacterial flora in the stomach of both H. pylori ATCC 43504 infected and control animals. In both cases, lactobacilli appeared to be dominant. Conclusion. These findings suggest that indigenous bacteria, particularly lactobacilli, may have an impact on the colonization and growth of H. pylori strains in the stomach of Mongolian gerbils.     

Role of γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori infection

γ‐Glutamyltranspeptidase and asparaginase have been shown to play important roles in Helicobacter pylori colonization and cell death induced by H. pylori infection. In this study, the association of γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase and asparaginase was elucidated by comparing activities of both deamidases in H. pylori strains from patients with chronic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer. γ‐Glutamyltranspeptidase activities in H. pylori strains from patients with gastric cancer were significantly higher than in those from patients with chronic gastritis or gastric ulcers. There was a wide range of asparaginase activities in H. pylori strains from patients with gastric cancer and these were not significantly than those from patients with other diseases. To identify the contributions of γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase and asparaginase to gastric cell inflammation, human gastric epithelial cells (AGS line) were infected with H. pylori wild‐type and knockout strains and inflammatory responses evaluated by induction of interleukin‐8 (IL‐8). IL‐8 response was significantly decreased by knockout of the γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase‐encoding gene but not by knockout of the asparaginase‐encoding gene. Additionally, IL‐8 induction by infection with the H. pylori wild‐type strain was significantly decreased by adding glutamine during infection. These findings indicate that IL‐8 induction caused by γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase activity in H. pylori is mainly attributable to depletion of glutamine. These data suggest that γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase plays a significant role in the chronic inflammation caused by H. pylori infection.