Peptide transport in Helicobacter pylori: roles of dpp and opp systems and evidence for additional peptide transporters

Despite research into the nutritional requirements of Helicobacter pylori, little is known regarding its use of complex substrates, such as peptides. Analysis of genome sequences revealed putative ABC-type transporter genes for dipeptide (dppABCDF) and oligopeptide (oppABCD) transport. Genes from each system were PCR amplified, cloned, and disrupted by cassette insertion either individually (dppA, dppB, dppC, oppA, oppB, and oppC) or to create double mutants (dppA oppA, dppB oppB, dppB dppC, and oppB oppC). Peptide-utilizing abilities of the strains were assessed by monitoring growth in a chemically defined medium where the only source of the essential amino acid isoleucine was from peptides of various lengths (two to nine amino acids long). The dipeptide system mutants lacked the ability to use certain dipeptides, hexapeptides, and nonapeptides. However, these mutants retained some ability to grow with other dipeptides, tripeptides, and tetrapeptides. Of the oligopeptide mutants, only the oppB strain differed significantly from the wild type. This strain showed a wild-type phenotype for growth with longer peptides (hexa- and nonapeptides) while having a decreased ability to utilize di-, tri-, and tetrapeptides. The dppA oppA and dppB oppB mutants showed similar phenotypes to those of the dppA and dppB mutants, respectively. Peptide digestion by metalloproteases was ruled out as the cause for residual peptide transport by growing mutant strains in the presence of either EDTA or EGTA. Degradation products associated with a fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled hexapeptide (plus cells) were minimal. An as yet unidentified peptide transport system(s) in H. pylori is proposed to be responsible for the residual transport.