scholarly journals The Intermediate Region of Helicobacter pylori VacA Is a Determinant of Toxin Potency in a Jurkat T Cell Assay

2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (8) ◽  
pp. 2578-2588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian González-Rivera ◽  
Holly M. Scott Algood ◽  
Jana N. Radin ◽  
Mark S. McClain ◽  
Timothy L. Cover

ABSTRACTColonization of the human stomach withHelicobacter pyloriis a risk factor for peptic ulceration, noncardia gastric adenocarcinoma, and gastric lymphoma. The secreted VacA toxin is an importantH. pylorivirulence factor that causes multiple alterations in gastric epithelial cells and T cells. Several families ofvacAalleles have been described, andH. pyloristrains containing certainvacAtypes (s1, i1, and m1) are associated with an increased risk of gastric disease, compared to strains containing othervacAtypes (s2, i2, and m2). Thus far, there has been relatively little study of the role of the VacA intermediate region (i-region) in toxin activity. In this study, we compared the ability of i1 and i2 forms of VacA to cause functional alterations in Jurkat cells. To do this, we manipulated the chromosomalvacAgene in twoH. pyloristrains to introduce alterations in the region encoding the VacA i-region. We did not detect any differences in the capacity of i1 and i2 forms of VacA to cause vacuolation of RK13 cells. In comparison to i1 forms of VacA, i2 forms of VacA had a diminished capacity to inhibit the activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) and suppress interleukin-2 (IL-2) production. Correspondingly, i2 forms of VacA bound to Jurkat cells less avidly than did i1 forms of VacA. These results indicate that the VacA i-region is an important determinant of VacA effects on human T cell function.


2012 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 740-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. Gray ◽  
Clinton A. Fontaine ◽  
Sara A. Poe ◽  
Kathryn A. Eaton

ABSTRACTDisease due to the gastric pathogenHelicobacter pylorivaries in severity from asymptomatic to peptic ulcer disease and cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests that one source of this variation is an abnormal host response. The goal of this study was to use a mouse model ofH. pylorigastritis to investigate the roles of regulatory T cells (Treg) as well as proinflammatory T cells (Th1 and Th17) in gastritis, gastric T cell engraftment, and gastric cytokine production. Our results support published data indicating that severe gastritis in T cell recipient mice is due to failure of Treg engraftment, that Treg ameliorate gastritis, and that the proinflammatory response is attributable to interactions between several cell subsets and cytokines. We confirmed that gamma interferon (IFN-γ) is essential for induction of gastritis but showed that IFN-γ-producing CD4 T cells are not necessary. Interleukin 17A (IL-17A) also contributed to gastritis, but to a lesser extent than IFN-γ. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and IL-17F were also elevated in association with disease. These results indicate that whileH. pylori-specific CD4+T cells and IFN-γ are both essential for induction of gastritis due toH. pylori, IFN-γ production by T cells is not essential. It is likely that other proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17F and TNF-α, shown to be elevated in this model, also contribute to the induction of disease. We suggest that gastritis due toH. pyloriis associated with loss of immunoregulation and alteration of several cytokines and cell subsets and cannot be attributed to a single immune pathway.



2011 ◽  
Vol 79 (7) ◽  
pp. 2737-2745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen J. Beswick ◽  
Iryna V. Pinchuk ◽  
Rachel B. Earley ◽  
David A. Schmitt ◽  
Victor E. Reyes

ABSTRACTGastric epithelial cells (GECs) express the class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and costimulatory molecules, enabling them to act as antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and affect local T cell responses. DuringHelicobacter pyloriinfection, GECs respond by releasing proinflammatory cytokines and by increasing the surface expression of immunologically relevant receptors, including class II MHC. The CD4+T cell response duringH. pyloriinfection is skewed toward a Th1 response, but these cells remain hyporesponsive. Activated T cells show decreased proliferation duringH. pyloriinfection, and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+regulatory T cells (Tregs) are present at the site of infection. In this study, we examined the mechanisms surrounding the CD4+T cell responses duringH. pyloriinfection and found that transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) plays a major role in these responses. GECs produced TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 in response to infection. Activated CD4+T cells in culture withH. pylori-treated GECs were decreased in proliferation but increased upon neutralization of TGF-β. Naïve CD4+T cell development into Tregs was also enhanced in the presence of GEC-derived TGF-β. Herein, we demonstrate a role for GEC-produced TGF-β in the inhibition of CD4+T cell responses seen duringH. pyloriinfection.



2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (10) ◽  
pp. 3803-3813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Kronsteiner ◽  
Josep Bassaganya-Riera ◽  
Casandra Philipson ◽  
Monica Viladomiu ◽  
Adria Carbo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTHelicobacter pyloriinfection is the leading cause for peptic ulcer disease and gastric adenocarcinoma. Mucosal T cell responses play an important role in mediatingH. pylori-related gastric immunopathology. While induced regulatory T (iTreg) cells are required for chronic colonization without disease, T helper 1 (Th1) effector responses are associated with lower bacterial loads at the expense of gastric pathology. Pigs were inoculated with eitherH. pyloristrain SS1 or J99. Phenotypic and functional changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) populations were monitored weekly, and mucosal immune responses and bacterial loads were assessed up to 2 months postinfection. BothH. pyloristrains elicited a Th1 response characterized by increased percentages of CD4+Tbet+cells and elevated gamma interferon (IFN-γ) mRNA in PBMCs. A subset of CD8+T cells expressing Tbet and CD16 increased following infection. Moreover, a significant increase in perforin and granzyme mRNA expression was observed in PBMCs of infected pigs, indicating a predominant cytotoxic immune response. Infiltration of B cells, myeloid cells, T cells expressing Treg- and Th17-associated transcription factors, and cytotoxic T cells was found in the gastric lamina propria of both infected groups. Interestingly, based on bacterial reisolation data, strain SS1 showed greater capacity to colonize and/or persist in the gastric mucosa than did strain J99. This novel pig model of infection closely mimics human gastric pathology and presents a suitable avenue for studying effector and regulatory responses towardH. pyloridescribed in humans.



mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adria Carbo ◽  
Danyvid Olivares-Villagómez ◽  
Raquel Hontecillas ◽  
Josep Bassaganya-Riera ◽  
Rupesh Chaturvedi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe development of gastritis duringHelicobacter pyloriinfection is dependent on an activated adaptive immune response orchestrated by T helper (Th) cells. However, the relative contributions of the Th1 and Th17 subsets to gastritis and control of infection are still under investigation. To investigate the role of interleukin-21 (IL-21) in the gastric mucosa duringH. pyloriinfection, we combined mathematical modeling of CD4+T cell differentiation within vivomechanistic studies. We infected IL-21-deficient and wild-type mice withH. pyloristrain SS1 and assessed colonization, gastric inflammation, cellular infiltration, and cytokine profiles. ChronicallyH. pylori-infected IL-21-deficient mice had higherH. pyloricolonization, significantly less gastritis, and reduced expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines compared to these parameters in infected wild-type littermates. Thesein vivodata were used to calibrate anH. pyloriinfection-dependent, CD4+T cell-specific computational model, which then described the mechanism by which IL-21 activates the production of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and IL-17 during chronicH. pyloriinfection. The model predicted activated expression of T-bet and RORγt and the phosphorylation of STAT3 and STAT1 and suggested a potential role of IL-21 in the modulation of IL-10. Driven by our modeling-derived predictions, we found reduced levels of CD4+splenocyte-specifictbx21androrcexpression, reduced phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3, and an increase in CD4+T cell-specific IL-10 expression inH. pylori-infected IL-21-deficient mice. Our results indicate that IL-21 regulates Th1 and Th17 effector responses during chronicH. pyloriinfection in a STAT1- and STAT3-dependent manner, therefore playing a major role controllingH. pyloriinfection and gastritis.IMPORTANCEHelicobacter pyloriis the dominant member of the gastric microbiota in more than 50% of the world’s population.H. pyloricolonization has been implicated in gastritis and gastric cancer, as infection withH. pyloriis the single most common risk factor for gastric cancer. Current data suggest that, in addition to bacterial virulence factors, the magnitude and types of immune responses influence the outcome of colonization and chronic infection. This study uses a combined computational and experimental approach to investigate how IL-21, a proinflammatory T cell-derived cytokine, maintains the chronic proinflammatory T cell immune response driving chronic gastritis duringH. pyloriinfection. This research will also provide insight into a myriad of other infectious and immune disorders in which IL-21 is increasingly recognized to play a central role. The use of IL-21-related therapies may provide treatment options for individuals chronically colonized withH. pylorias an alternative to aggressive antibiotics.



Author(s):  
Stella G. Hoft ◽  
Christine N. Noto ◽  
Richard J. DiPaolo

Gastric cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. The risk of developing gastric adenocarcinoma, which comprises >90% of gastric cancers, is multifactorial, but most associated with Helicobacter pylori infection. Autoimmune gastritis is a chronic autoinflammatory syndrome where self-reactive immune cells are activated by gastric epithelial cell autoantigens. This cause of gastritis is more so associated with the development of neuroendocrine tumors. However, in both autoimmune and infection-induced gastritis, high risk metaplastic lesions develop within the gastric mucosa. This warrants concern for carcinogenesis in both inflammatory settings. There are many similarities and differences in disease progression between these two etiologies of chronic gastritis. Both diseases have an increased risk of gastric adenocarcinoma development, but each have their own unique comorbidities. Autoimmune gastritis is a primary cause of pernicious anemia, whereas chronic infection typically causes gastrointestinal ulceration. Both immune responses are driven by T cells, primarily CD4+ T cells of the IFN-γ producing, Th1 phenotype. Neutrophilic infiltrates help clear H. pylori infection, but neutrophils are not necessarily recruited in the autoimmune setting. There have also been hypotheses that infection with H. pylori initiates autoimmune gastritis, but the literature is far from definitive with evidence of infection-independent autoimmune gastric disease. Gastric cancer incidence is increasing among young women in the United States, a population at higher risk of developing autoimmune disease, and H. pylori infection rates are falling. Therefore, a better understanding of these two chronic inflammatory diseases is needed to identify their roles in initiating gastric cancer.



mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Altobelli ◽  
Michael Bauer ◽  
Karelia Velez ◽  
Timothy L. Cover ◽  
Anne Müller

ABSTRACT The gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori causes a persistent infection that is directly responsible for gastric ulcers and gastric cancer in some patients and protective against allergic and other immunological disorders in others. The two outcomes of the Helicobacter-host interaction can be modeled in mice that are infected as immunocompetent adults and as neonates, respectively. Here, we have investigated the contribution of the Helicobacter immunomodulator VacA to H. pylori-specific local and systemic immune responses in both models. We found that neonatally infected mice are colonized at higher levels than mice infected as adults and fail to generate effector T-cell responses to the bacteria; rather, T-cell responses in neonatally infected mice are skewed toward Foxp3-positive (Foxp3+) regulatory T cells that are neuropilin negative and express RORγt. We found these peripherally induced regulatory T cells (pTregs) to be enriched, in a VacA-dependent manner, not only in the gastric mucosa but also in the lungs of infected mice. Pulmonary pTreg accumulation was observed in mice that have been infected neonatally with wild-type H. pylori but not in mice that have been infected as adults or mice infected with a VacA null mutant. Finally, we traced VacA to gastric lamina propria myeloid cells and show that it suppressed interleukin-23 (IL-23) expression by dendritic cells and induced IL-10 and TGF-β expression in macrophages. Taken together, the results are consistent with the idea that H. pylori creates a tolerogenic environment through its immunomodulator VacA, which skews T-cell responses toward Tregs, favors H. pylori persistence, and affects immunity at distant sites. IMPORTANCE Helicobacter pylori has coexisted with humans for at least 60.000 years and has evolved persistence strategies that allow it to evade host immunity and colonize its host for life. The VacA protein is expressed by all H. pylori strains and is required for high-level persistent infection in experimental mouse models. Here, we show that VacA targets myeloid cells in the gastric mucosa to create a tolerogenic environment that facilitates regulatory T-cell differentiation, while suppressing effector T-cell priming and functionality. Tregs that are induced in the periphery during H. pylori infection can be found not only in the stomach but also in the lungs of infected mice, where they are likely to affect immune responses to allergens.



2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (11) ◽  
pp. 3795-3803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kosuke Sakitani ◽  
Yoshihiro Hirata ◽  
Yoku Hayakawa ◽  
Takako Serizawa ◽  
Wachiko Nakata ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTHelicobacter pyloriinfection is associated with gastritis and gastric cancer. AnH. pylorivirulence factor, thecagpathogenicity island (PAI), is related to host cell cytokine induction and gastric inflammation. Since elucidation of the mechanisms of inflammation is important for therapy, the associations between cytokines and inflammatory diseases have been investigated vigorously. Levels of interleukin-32 (IL-32), a recently described inflammatory cytokine, are increased in various inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, and in malignancies, including gastric cancer. In this report, we examined IL-32 expression in human gastric disease. We also investigated the function of IL-32 in activation of the inflammatory cytokines in gastritis. IL-32 expression paralleled human gastric tissue pathology, with low IL-32 expression inH. pylori-uninfected gastric mucosa and higher expression levels in gastritis and gastric cancer tissues.H. pyloriinfection increased IL-32 expression in human gastric epithelial cell lines.H. pylori-induced IL-32 expression was dependent on the bacterialcagPAI genes and on activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). IL-32 expression induced byH. pyloriwas not detected in the supernatant of AGS cells but was found in the cytosol. Expression of theH. pylori-induced cytokines CXCL1, CXCL2, and IL-8 was decreased in IL-32-knockdown AGS cell lines compared to a control AGS cell line. We also found that NF-κB activation was decreased inH. pylori-infected IL-32-knockdown cells. These results suggest that IL-32 has important functions in the regulation of cytokine expression inH. pylori-infected gastric mucosa.



2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 2468-2477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Sheh ◽  
Rupesh Chaturvedi ◽  
D. Scott Merrell ◽  
Pelayo Correa ◽  
Keith T. Wilson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWhileHelicobacter pyloriinfects over 50% of the world's population, the mechanisms involved in the development of gastric disease are not fully understood. Bacterial, host, and environmental factors play a role in disease outcome. To investigate the role of bacterial factors inH. pyloripathogenesis, global gene expression of sixH. pyloriisolates was analyzed during coculture with gastric epithelial cells. Clustering analysis of six Colombian clinical isolates from a region with low gastric cancer risk and a region with high gastric cancer risk segregated strains based on their phylogeographic origin. One hundred forty-six genes had increased expression in European strains, while 350 genes had increased expression in African strains. Differential expression was observed in genes associated with motility, pathogenicity, and other adaptations to the host environment. European strains had greater expression of the virulence factorscagA,vacA, andbabBand were associated with increased gastric histologic lesions in patients. In AGS cells, European strains promoted significantly higher interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression than did African strains. African strains significantly induced apoptosis, whereas only one European strain significantly induced apoptosis. Our data suggest that gene expression profiles of clinical isolates can discriminate strains by phylogeographic origin and that these profiles are associated with changes in expression of the proinflammatory and protumorigenic cytokine IL-8 and levels of apoptosis in host epithelial cells. These findings support the hypothesis that bacterial factors determined by the phylogeographic origin ofH. pyloristrains may promote increased gastric disease.



2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siqi Ming ◽  
Huan Yin ◽  
Xingyu Li ◽  
Sitang Gong ◽  
Guoliang Zhang ◽  
...  

Gastric CD4+T cells contribute to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-induced gastritis by amplifying mucosal inflammation and exacerbating mucosal injuries. However, the pathogenic CD4+ T cell subset involved in gastritis and the potential regulators are still unclear. Here we identified an IL-21-producing gastric CD4+T cell subset, which exhibited tissue-resident CXCR5−BTLA−PD-1hi TFH-like phenotype in H. pylori-positive gastritis patients. Meanwhile, we identified glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (GITR) as an important regulator to facilitate IL-21 production by CD4+T cells and accelerate mucosal inflammation in gastritis patients with H. pylori infection. Moreover, GITR expression was increased in gastric CD4+T cells of gastritis patients compared to healthy controls, along with the upregulated expression of its ligand GITRL in mucosal macrophages (Mϕ) of gastritis patients. Further observations showed that the activation of GITR/GITRL signal promoted the IL-21 production of CD4+T cells via the STAT3 pathway. Besides this, IL-21 from CD4+T cells induced the proliferation of B cell and promoted the production of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 and chemokines MIP-3α and CCL-25 as well as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 and MMP-9 by human gastric epithelial cells, suggesting the facilitating effect of IL-21-producing CD4+T cells on mucosal inflammation and injuries. Taking these data together, we revealed that GITR/GITRL signal promoted the polarization of mucosal IL-21-producing CD4+T cells in H. pylori-positive gastritis, which may provide therapeutic strategies for the clinical treatment of H. pylori-induced gastritis.



2014 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 1372-1381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jody Winter ◽  
Darren Letley ◽  
Joanne Rhead ◽  
John Atherton ◽  
Karen Robinson

ABSTRACTPersistentHelicobacter pyloriinfection induces chronic inflammation in the human gastric mucosa, which is associated with development of peptic ulceration, gastric atrophy, and gastric adenocarcinoma. It has been postulated that secretion of immunomodulatory molecules byH. pylorifacilitates bacterial persistence, and membrane vesicles (MV), which have the potential to cross the gastric epithelial barrier, may mediate delivery of these molecules to host immune cells. However, bacterial MV effects on human immune cells remain largely uncharacterized to date. In the present study, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects ofH. pyloriMV with and without the vacuolating cytotoxin, VacA, which inhibits human T cell activity. We show a high degree of variability in the toxin content of vesicles between twoH. pyloristrains (SS1 and 60190). Vesicles from the more toxigenic 60190 strain contain more VacA (s1i1 type) than vesicles from the SS1 strain (s2i2 VacA), but engineering the SS1 strain to produce s1i1 VacA did not increase the toxin content of its vesicles. Vesicles from all strains tested, including a 60190 isogenic mutant null for VacA, strongly induced interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-6 production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells independently of the infection status of the donor. Finally, we show thatH. pyloriMV induce T cell apoptosis and that this is enhanced by, but not completely dependent on, the carriage of VacA. Together, these findings suggest a role forH. pyloriMV in the stimulation of innate pro- and anti-inflammatory responses and in the suppression of T cell immunity.



Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document