Potentiation of Helicobacter pylori CagA protein virulence through homodimerization

Chronic infection with Helicobacter pylori cagA-positive strains is associated with atrophic gastritis, peptic ulceration, and gastric carcinoma. The cagA gene product, CagA, is delivered into gastric epithelial cells via type IV secretion, where it undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation at the EPIYA motifs. Tyrosine-phosphorylated CagA binds and aberrantly activates the oncogenic tyrosine phosphatase SHP2, which mediates induction of elongated cell morphology (hummingbird phenotype) that reflects CagA virulence. CagA also binds and inhibits the polarity-regulating kinase partitioning-defective 1 (PAR1)/microtubule affinity-regulating kinase (MARK) via the CagA multimerization (CM) sequence independently of tyrosine phosphorylation. Because PAR1 exists as a homodimer, two CagA proteins appear to be passively dimerized through complex formation with a PAR1 dimer in cells. Interestingly, a CagA mutant that lacks the CM sequence displays a reduced SHP2 binding activity and exhibits an attenuated ability to induce the hummingbird phenotype, indicating that the CagA-PAR1 interaction also influences the morphological transformation. Here we investigated the role of CagA dimerization in induction of the hummingbird phenotype with the use of a chemical dimerizer, coumermycin. We found that CagA dimerization markedly stabilizes the CagA-SHP2 complex and thereby potentiates SHP2 deregulation, causing an increase in the number of hummingbird cells. Protrusions of hummingbird cells induced by chemical dimerization of CagA are further elongated by simultaneous inhibition of PAR1. This study revealed a role of the CM sequence in amplifying the magnitude of SHP2 deregulation by CagA, which, in conjunction with the CM sequence-mediated inhibition of PAR1, evokes morphological transformation that reflects in vivo CagA virulence.     

PAR1b takes the stage in the morphogenetic and motogenetic activity of Helicobacter pylori CagA oncoprotein

Helicobacter pylori CagA oncoprotein is critically involved in gastric carcinogenesis. Upon delivery into gastric epithelial cells via type IV secretion, CagA induces an extremely elongated cell-shape known as the hummingbird phenotype, which is associated with massive changes in actin cytoskeleton and elevated motility. With the notion that the hummingbird phenotype reflects pathogenic/oncogenic activity of CagA, many studies have focused on the mechanism through which CagA induces the morphological change. Once delivered, CagA interacts with host proteins such as oncogenic phosphatase SHP2 and polarity-regulating kinase PAR1b. Whereas the essential role of the CagA-SHP2 interaction in inducing the hummingbird phenotype has been extensively investigated, involvement of the CagA-PAR1b interaction in the morphological change has remained uncertain. Recently, we found that the CagA-PAR1b interaction, which inhibits PAR1b kinase activity, influences the actin cytoskeletal system and potentiates the magnitude of the hummingbird phenotype. We also found that PAR1b inactivates a RhoA-specific GEF, GEF-H1, via phosphorylation and thereby inhibits cortical actin and stress fiber formation. Collectively, these findings indicate that CagA-mediated inhibition of PAR1b promotes RhoA-dependent actin-cytoskeletal rearrangement and thereby strengthens the hummingbird phenotype induced by CagA-stimulated SHP2 during infection with H. pylori cagA-positive strains.     

EPIYA motif is a membrane-targeting signal of Helicobacter pylori virulence factor CagA in mammalian cells

Helicobacter pylori contributes to the development of peptic ulcers and atrophic gastritis. Furthermore, H. pylori strains carrying the cagA gene are more virulent than cagA-negative strains and are associated with the development of gastric adenocarcinoma. The cagA gene product, CagA, is translocated into gastric epithelial cells and localizes to the inner surface of the plasma membrane, in which it undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation at the Glu-Pro-Ile-Tyr-Ala (EPIYA) motif. Tyrosine-phosphorylated CagA specifically binds to and activates Src homology 2-containing protein-tyrosine phosphatase-2 (SHP-2) at the membrane, thereby inducing an elongated cell shape termed the hummingbird phenotype. Accordingly, membrane tethering of CagA is an essential prerequisite for the pathogenic activity of CagA. We show here that membrane association of CagA requires the EPIYA-containing region but is independent of EPIYA tyrosine phosphorylation. We further show that specific deletion of the EPIYA motif abolishes the ability of CagA to associate with the membrane. Conversely, reintroduction of an EPIYA sequence into a CagA mutant that lacks the EPIYA-containing region restores membrane association of CagA. Thus, the presence of a single EPIYA motif is necessary for the membrane localization of CagA. Our results indicate that the EPIYA motif has a dual function in membrane association and tyrosine phosphorylation, both of which are critically involved in the activity of CagA to deregulate intracellular signaling, and suggest that the EPIYA motif is a crucial therapeutic target of cagA-positive H. pylori infection.     

Activation of Helicobacter pylori CagA by tyrosine phosphorylation is essential for dephosphorylation of host cell proteins in gastric epithelial cells

Helicobacter pylori type I strains harbour the cag pathogenicity island (cag-PAI), a 37 kb sequence,which encodes the components of a type IV secretion system. CagA, the first identified effector protein of the cag-PAI, is translocated into eukaryotic cells and tyrosine phosphorylated (CagAP-tyr) by a host cell tyrosine kinase. Translocation of CagA induces the dephosphorylation of a set of phosphorylated host cell proteins of unknown identity. CagA proteins of independent H. pylori strains vary in sequence and thus in the number and composition of putative tyrosine phosphorylation motifs (TPMs). The CagA protein of H. pylori strain J99 (CagAJ99) does not carry any of three putative tyrosine phosphorylation motifs (TPM-A, TPM-B or TPM-C) predicted by the MOTIF algorithm in CagA proteins. CagA,n is not tyrosine phosphorylated and is inactive in the dephosphorylation of host cell proteins. By site-specific mutagenesis,we introduced a TPM-C into CagA,. by replacing a single lysine with a tyrosine. This slight modification resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation of CagAJ99 and host cell protein dephosphorylation. In contrast, the removal of the indigenous TPM-C from CagAP12 did not abolish its tyrosine phosphorylation, suggesting that further phosphorylated sites are present in CagAP12. By generation of hybrid CagA proteins, a phosphorylation of the most N-terminal TPM-A could be excluded. Our data suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation at TPM-C is sufficient, but not exclusive,to activate translocated CagA. Activated CagAPtr might either convert into a phosphatase itself or activate a cellular phosphatase to dephosphorylate cellular phosphoproteins and modulate cellular signalling cascades of the host.     

Helicobacter pylori infection and CagA protein translocation in human primary gastric epithelial cell culture

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has shown that Helicobacter pylori CagA protein translocation into gastric epithelial cells plays an important role in the development of gastric inflammation and malignancy. Translocated CagA undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation in gastric adenocarcinoma cell line cells, and CagA involves disruption of cellular apical-junction complex in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. METHODS: To elucidate whether these events take place in normal human gastric epithelium, we infected human primary gastric epithelial cells with H. pylori. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that CagA protein was translocated into primary gastric epithelial cells and tyrosine phosphorylated. The translocated CagA induces cytoskeletal rearrangement and the disruption of tight junctions in primary gastric epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides direct evidence of the modulation of gastric epithelial cells by CagA protein translocation, and advances our understanding of the pathogenesis of H. pylori infection.     

Importance of EGF receptor, HER2/Neu and Erk1/2 kinase signalling for host cell elongation and scattering induced by the Helicobacter pylori CagA protein: antagonistic effects of the vacuolating cytotoxin VacA

Helicobacter pylori is the causative agent of gastric pathologies ranging from chronic gastritis to peptic ulcers and even cancer. Virulent strains carrying both the cag pathogenicity island ( cag PAI) and the vacuolating cytotoxin VacA are key players in disease development. The ca gPAI encodes a type IV secretion system (T4SS) which forms a pilus for injection of the CagA protein into gastric epithelial cells. Injected CagA undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation and induces actin-cytoskeletal rearrangements involved in host cell scattering and elongation. We show here that the CagA-induced responses can be inhibited in strains expressing highly active VacA. Further investigations revealed that VacA does not interfere with known activities of phosphorylated CagA such as inactivation of Src kinase and cortactin dephosphorylation. Instead, we demonstrate that VacA exhibits inactivating activities on the epidermal growth factor receptor EGFR and HER2/Neu, and subsequently Erk1/2 MAP kinase which are important for cell scattering and elongation. Inactivation of vacA gene, downregulation of the VacA receptor RPTP-α, addition of EGF or expression of constitutive-active MEK1 kinase restored the capability of H. pylori to induce the latter phenotypes. These data demonstrate that VacA can downregulate CagA's effects on epithelial cells, a novel molecular mechanism showing how H. pylori can avoid excessive cellular damage.     

Identification of Helicobacter pylori and the cagA genotype in gastric biopsies using highly sensitive real-time PCR as a new diagnostic tool

The CagA protein is one of the virulence factors of Helicobacter pylori, and two major subtypes of CagA have been observed, the Western and East Asian type. CagA is injected from the bacteria into gastric epithelial cells, undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation, and binds to Src homology 2 domain-containing protein-tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2. The East Asian type CagA binds to SHP-2 more strongly than the Western type CagA. Here, we tried to distinguish the CagA type by highly sensitive real-time PCR with the objective of establishing a system to detect H. pylori and CagA subtypes from gastric biopsies. We designed primers and probe sets for Western or East Asian-cagA at Western-specific or East Asian-specific sequence regions, respectively, and H. pylori 16S rRNA. We could detect the H. pylori 16S rRNA gene, Western and East Asian-cagA gene from DNA of gastric biopsies. The sensitivity and specificity for H. pylori infection was 100% in this system. In Thai patients, 87.8% (36/41) were cagA-positive; 26.8% (11/41) were Western-cagA positive and 53.7% (22/41) were East Asian-cagA positive, while 7.3% (3/41) reacted with both types of cagA. These results suggest that this real-time PCR system provides a highly sensitive assessment of CagA type as a new diagnostic tool for the pathogenicity of H. pylori infection.     

Focal adhesion kinase is a substrate and downstream effector of SHP-2 complexed with Helicobacter pylori CagA

Infection with cagA-positive Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is associated with atrophic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric adenocarcinoma. The cagA gene product CagA is translocated from H. pylori into gastric epithelial cells and undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation by Src family kinases (SFKs). Tyrosine-phosphorylated CagA binds and activates SHP-2 phosphatase and the C-terminal Src kinase (Csk) while inducing an elongated cell shape termed the "hummingbird phenotype." Here we show that CagA reduces the level of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) tyrosine phosphorylation in gastric epithelial cells. The decrease in phosphorylated FAK is due to SHP-2-mediated dephosphorylation of FAK at the activating phosphorylation sites, not due to Csk-dependent inhibition of SFKs, which phosphorylate FAK. Coexpression of constitutively active FAK with CagA inhibits induction of the hummingbird phenotype, whereas expression of dominant-negative FAK elicits an elongated cell shape characteristic of the hummingbird phenotype. These results indicate that inhibition of FAK by SHP-2 plays a crucial role in the morphogenetic activity of CagA. Impaired cell adhesion and increased motility by CagA may be involved in the development of gastric lesions associated with cagA-positive H. pylori infection.     

Attenuation of Helicobacter pylori CagA x SHP-2 signaling by interaction between CagA and C-terminal Src kinase

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a causative agent of gastric diseases ranging from gastritis to cancer. The CagA protein is the product of the cagA gene carried among virulent H. pylori strains and is associated with severe disease outcomes, most notably gastric carcinoma. CagA is injected from the attached H. pylori into gastric epithelial cells and undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation. The phosphorylated CagA binds and activates SHP-2 phosphatase and thereby induces a growth factor-like morphological change termed the "hummingbird phenotype." In this work, we demonstrate that CagA is also capable of interacting with C-terminal Src kinase (Csk). As is the case with SHP-2, Csk selectively binds tyrosine-phosphorylated CagA via its SH2 domain. Upon complex formation, CagA stimulates Csk, which in turn inactivates the Src family of protein-tyrosine kinases. Because Src family kinases are responsible for CagA phosphorylation, an essential prerequisite of CagA.SHP-2 complex formation and subsequent induction of the hummingbird phenotype, our results indicate that CagA-Csk interaction down-regulates CagA.SHP-2 signaling by both competitively inhibiting CagA.SHP-2 complex formation and reducing levels of CagA phosphorylation. We further demonstrate that CagA.SHP-2 signaling eventually induces apoptosis in AGS cells. Our results thus indicate that CagA-Csk interaction prevents excess cell damage caused by deregulated activation of SHP-2. Attenuation of CagA activity by Csk may enable cagA-positive H. pylori to persistently infect the human stomach for decades while avoiding excess CagA toxicity to the host.     

Helicobacter pylori stimulates gastric epithelial cell MMP-1 secretion via CagA-dependent and -independent ERK activation

Because the mechanisms of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric injury are incompletely understood, we examined the hypothesis that H. pylori induces matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) secretion, with potential to disrupt gastric stroma. We further tested the role of CagA, an H. pylori virulence factor, in MMP-1 secretion. Co-incubation of AGS cells with Tx30a, an H. pylori strain lacking the cagA virulence gene, stimulated MMP-1 secretion, confirming cagA-independent secretion. Co-incubation with strain 147C (cagA(+)) resulted in CagA translocation into AGS cells and increased MMP-1 secretion relative to Tx30a. Transfection of cells with the recombinant 147C cagA gene also induced MMP-1 secretion, indicating that CagA can independently stimulate MMP-1 secretion. Co-incubation with strain 147A, containing a cagA gene that lacks an EPIYA tyrosine phosphorylation motif, as well as transfection with 147A cagA, yielded an MMP-1 secretion intermediate between no treatment and 147C, indicating that CagA tyrosine phosphorylation regulates cellular signaling in this model system. H. pylori induced activation of the MAP kinase ERK, with CagA-independent (early) and dependent (later) components. MEK inhibitors UO126 and PD98059 inhibited both CagA-independent and -dependent MMP-1 secretion, whereas p38 inhibition enhanced MMP-1 secretion and ERK activation, suggesting p38 negative regulation of MMP-1 and ERK. These data indicate H. pylori effects on host epithelial MMP-1 expression via ERK, with p38 playing a potential regulatory role.     

Helicobacter pylori induces gastric epithelial cell invasion in a c-Met and type IV secretion system-dependent manner

Helicobacter pylori interacts with gastric epithelial cells, activating signaling pathways important for carcinogenesis. In this study we examined the role of H. pylori on cell invasion and the molecular mechanisms underlying this process. The relevance of H. pylori cag pathogenicity island-encoded type IV secretion system (T4SS), CagA, and VacA for cell invasion was also investigated. We found that H. pylori induces AGS cell invasion in collagen type I and in Matrigel invasion assays. H. pylori-induced cell invasion requires the direct contact between bacteria and cancer cells. H. pylori-mediated cell invasion was dependent on the activation of the c-Met receptor and on increased MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity. The abrogation of the c-Met receptor using the specific NK4 inhibitor or the silencing of c-Met expression with small interference RNA suppressed both cell invasion and MMP activity. Studies with different H. pylori strains revealed that cell invasion, c-Met tyrosine phosphorylation, and increased MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity were all dependent on the presence of a functional bacterial T4SS, but not on VacA cytotoxicity. Our findings demonstrate that H. pylori strains with a functional T4SS stimulate gastric epithelial cell invasion through a c-Met-dependent signaling pathway that comprises an increase in MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity.     

Functional variability of cagA gene in Japanese isolates of Helicobacter pylori

CagA protein of Helicobacter pylori is injected into the epithelium, where CagA undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation and activates proliferation signals. However, the importance of these CagA activities for pathogenesis has yet to be resolved. The aim of this study is to analyze the genetic and functional variability of cagA gene of clinical strains in relation to gastric diseases. Thirty-six H. pylori strains were isolated from Japanese patients with various gastric diseases and examined. All 36 strains were found to contain cagA and cagE gene and to induce CagA phosphorylation upon infection. The intensity of CagA phosphorylation expressed in HeLa cells by transfection was highly correlated to the number of R1 region. The phosphorylation intensity was slightly higher in strains from chronic atrophic gastritis (CG); however, the differences were not statistically significant. These CagA proteins also activated the serum response element (SRE) reporter by 5- to 14-fold, above the level of the control. CagA proteins which lack R2 or R3 region exhibited smaller ability for SRE activation. The average of SRE activation was slightly higher in strains from cases of gastric cancer (GC; 11.4+/-1.6), MALT lymphoma (ML; 10.7+/-1.0), and chronic atrophic gastritis (CG; 11.2+/-1.6) than in those of duodenal ulcer (DU; 8.3+/-1.9) or gastric ulcer (GU; 9.0+/-1.1). In summary, most Japanese H. pylori strains contained CagA transport system and induced CagA phosphorylation, and the levels of the intensity of phosphorylation and the ability to induce SRE varied among strains. Although the association between CagA activities and disease outcome shown in this study is not very strong, variety of CagA structure, which induces variable activities, may be one of the reasons why H. pylori induces distinct diseases on host.     

Helicobacter pylori exploits a unique repertoire of type IV secretion system components for pilus assembly at the bacteria-host cell interface

Colonization of the human stomach by Helicobacter pylori is an important risk factor for development of gastric cancer. The H. pylori cag pathogenicity island (cag PAI) encodes components of a type IV secretion system (T4SS) that translocates the bacterial oncoprotein CagA into gastric epithelial cells, and CagL is a specialized component of the cag T4SS that binds the host receptor α5β1 integrin. Here, we utilized a mass spectrometry-based approach to reveal co-purification of CagL, CagI (another integrin-binding protein), and CagH (a protein with weak sequence similarity to CagL). These three proteins are encoded by contiguous genes in the cag PAI, and are detectable on the bacterial surface. All three proteins are required for CagA translocation into host cells and H. pylori-induced IL-8 secretion by gastric epithelial cells; however, these proteins are not homologous to components of T4SSs in other bacterial species. Scanning electron microscopy analysis reveals that these proteins are involved in the formation of pili at the interface between H. pylori and gastric epithelial cells. ΔcagI and ΔcagL mutant strains fail to form pili, whereas a ΔcagH mutant strain exhibits a hyperpiliated phenotype and produces pili that are elongated and thickened compared to those of the wild-type strain. This suggests that pilus dimensions are regulated by CagH. A conserved C-terminal hexapeptide motif is present in CagH, CagI, and CagL. Deletion of these motifs results in abrogation of CagA translocation and IL-8 induction, and the C-terminal motifs of CagI and CagL are required for formation of pili. In summary, these results indicate that CagH, CagI, and CagL are components of a T4SS subassembly involved in pilus biogenesis, and highlight the important role played by unique constituents of the H. pylori cag T4SS.     

Role of Abl and Src family kinases in actin-cytoskeletal rearrangements induced by the Helicobacter pylori CagA protein

The clinical outcome of infections with Helicobacter pylori is determined by a complex interplay of host-pathogen interactions, and persistent infection with this pathogen is the major cause of developing chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. Highly virulent strains encode a so-called type IV secretion system which translocates the CagA effector protein into gastric epithelial target cells. Injected CagA becomes tyrosine-phosphorylated on EPIYA sequence motifs by Src and Abl family kinase members. CagA then binds to and activates/inactivates various signalling proteins in a phosphorylation-dependent and phosphorylation-independent manner. In this way injected CagA can act as a master key that evolved during evolution the ability to highjack multiple downstream signalling cascades. Here we review our knowledge on the tyrosine phosphorylation motifs in CagA, the recent advances in the interaction of CagA with Src and Abl tyrosine kinases and their role in signalling events leading to changes of the phosphorylation status of actin-binding proteins cortactin, ezrin and vinculin followed by actin-cytoskeletal rearrangements, cell scattering and elongation. Detailed investigation of these pathways will help to yield novel insights and to elucidate the mechanisms of H. pylori-induced pathogenesis.     

Structural basis and functional consequence of Helicobacter pylori CagA multimerization in cells

Helicobacter pylori cagA-positive strains are associated with gastric adenocarcinoma. The cagA gene product CagA is delivered into gastric epithelial cells where it localizes to the plasma membrane and undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation at the EPIYA-repeat region, which contains the EPIYA-A segment, EPIYA-B segment, and Western CagA-specific EPIYA-C or East Asian CagA-specific EPIYA-D segment. In host cells, CagA specifically binds to and deregulates SHP-2 phosphatase via the tyrosine-phosphorylated EPIYA-C or EPIYA-D segment, thereby inducing an elongated cell shape known as the hummingbird phenotype. In this study, we found that CagA multimerizes in cells in a manner independent of its tyrosine phosphorylation. Using a series of CagA mutants, we identified a conserved amino acid sequence motif (FPLXRXXXVXDLSKVG), which mediates CagA multimerization, within the EPIYA-C segment as well as in a sequence that located immediately downstream of the EPIYA-C or EPIYA-D segment. We also found that a phosphorylation-resistant CagA, which multimerizes but cannot bind SHP-2, inhibits the wild-type CagA-SHP-2 complex formation and abolishes induction of the hummingbird phenotype. Thus, SHP-2 binds to a preformed and tyrosinephosphorylated CagA multimer via its two Src homology 2 domains. These results, in turn, indicate that CagA multimerization is a prerequisite for CagA-SHP-2 interaction and subsequent deregulation of SHP-2. The present work raises the possibility that inhibition of CagA multimerization abolishes pathophysiological activities of CagA that promote gastric carcinogenesis.     

不同类型幽门螺杆菌对GES-1细胞Cx32、Cx43表达的影响

目的观察不同类型幽门螺杆菌（Helicobacter pylori,H.pylori）对人胃黏膜上皮细胞系GES-1细胞间隙连接蛋白（Connexin,Cx）32和43表达的影响,探讨与Cx32、Cx43表达异常有关的H.pylori菌株类型。方法将临床培养分离的不同H.pylori菌株类型包括东亚型CagA＋H.pylori、西方型CagA＋H.pylori及CagA-H.pylori与GES-1细胞共培养24 h及48 h,对照组不加H.pylori培养24 h及48 h。采用间接免疫荧光方法（IIF）及计算机图像分析技术检测GES-1细胞Cx32、Cx43表达。结果对照组24 h和48 h及加H.pylori各组24 h GES-1细胞Cx32、Cx43表达阳性率均为100%,东亚型CagA＋H.pylori组48 h Cx32、Cx43表达阳性率均低于对照组、CagA-H.pylori组和西方型CagA＋H.pylori组（P〈0.05）;对照组24 h和48 h Cx32、Cx43绿色荧光位于细胞膜,西方型CagA＋H.pylori组和东亚型CagA＋H.pylori组24 h和48 h Cx32绿色荧光大部分位于细胞膜,少部分位于细胞浆,Cx43绿色荧光大部分位于细胞浆,少部分位于细胞膜;东亚型CagA＋H.pylori组和西方型CagA＋H.pylori组24 h及48 hCx32、Cx43表达强度低于对照组和CagA-H.pylori组（P〈0.05）,且东亚型CagA＋H.pylori组较西方型CagA＋H.py-lori组减弱更明显（P〈0.05）。结论 H.pylori下调GES-1细胞Cx32、Cx43表达,以CagA＋H.pylori菌株特别是东亚型CagA＋H.pylori菌株作用更明显。     

Analysis of the type IV secretion system-dependent cell motility of Helicobacter pylori-infected epithelial cells

The pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori-associated disorders is strongly dependent on a specialized type IV secretion system (T4SS) encoded by the cag pathogenicity island (PAI). Cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) is the only known H. pylori protein translocated into the host cell followed by tyrosine phosphorylation through host protein kinases. H. pylori induces cellular processes which are either PAI- or CagA-dependent (e.g., cell motility), PAI-dependent, but CagA-independent (e.g., interleukin-8 release), or PAI- and CagA-independent (e.g., cyclooxygenase-2 release). Here, we investigated H. pylori strains mutated in single PAI genes of the wild type strain Hp26695 and their effects on cell motility. We found 17 gene products out of 27 PAI genes playing a superordinated role and five PAI-encoded proteins exhibiting a clearly critical role in motogenic host cell responses, whereas the remaining five PAI gene products had no significant influence on the motogenic response in reaction to H. pylori infection. This study clearly demonstrated that H. pylori-induced cell motility and invasive growth involve type IV secretion system-dependent signalling as well as translocated and phosphorylated CagA. These findings reveal a deeper insight in to the meaning of the T4SS of H. pylori for host cell motility.     

Potential role of CagA in the inhibition of T cell reactivity in Helicobacter pylori infections

The pathogenicity of chronic gastroduodenal diseases is very often related to Helicobacter pylori infections. Most H. pylori strains carry the cagA gene encoding an immunodominant 120- to 128-kDa protein which is considered a virulence marker. The majority of CagA-positive H. pylori isolates also produce a 95-kDa protein cytotoxin (VacA) causing vacuolation and degradation of mammalian cells. In our previous study we have shown that live H. pylori bacteria and their sonicates inhibit PHA-driven proliferation of human T lymphocytes. The H. pylori CagA and VacA proteins were suspected of a paralyzing effect of H. pylori on T cell proliferation. In this report, by using isogenic H. pylori mutant strains defective in CagA and VacA proteins, we determined that CagA is responsible for the inhibition of PHA-induced proliferation of T cells.     

The beta1 integrin activates JNK independent of CagA, and JNK activation is required for Helicobacter pylori CagA+-induced motility of gastric cancer cells

The Helicobacter pylori CagA protein is translocated into gastric epithelial cells through a type IV secretion system (TFSS), and published studies suggest CagA is critical for H. pylori-associated carcinogenesis. CagA is thought to be necessary and sufficient to induce the motogenic response observed in response to CagA+ strains, as CagA interacts with proteins involved in adhesion and motility. We report that H. pylori strain 60190 stimulated AGS cell motility through a CagA- and TFSS-dependent mechanism, because strains 60190DeltacagA or 60190DeltacagE (TFSS-defective) did not increase motility. The JNK pathway is critical for H. pylori-dependent cell motility, as inhibition using SP600125 (JNK1/2/3 inhibitor) or a JNK2/3-specific inhibitor blocked motility. JNK mediates H. pylori-induced cell motility by activating paxillin, because JNK inhibition blocked paxillinTyr-118 phosphorylation, and paxillin expression knockdown completely abrogated bacteria-induced motility. Furthermore, JNK and paxillinTyr-118 were activated by 60190DeltacagA but not 60190DeltacagE, demonstrating CagA-independent signaling critical for cell motility. A beta1 integrin-blocking antibody significantly inhibited JNK and paxillinTyr-118 phosphorylation and cell scattering, demonstrating that CagA-independent signaling required for cell motility occurs through beta1. The requirement of both Src and focal adhesion kinase for signaling and motility further suggests the importance of integrin signaling in H. pylori-induced cell motility. Finally, we show that JNK activation occurs independent of known upstream kinases and signaling molecules, including Nod1, Cdc42, Rac1, MKK4, and MKK7, which demonstrates novel signaling leading to JNK activation. We report for the first time that H. pylori mediates CagA-independent signaling that promotes cell motility through the beta1 integrin pathway.