The Helicobacter pylori UreI Protein Is Not Involved in Urease Activity but Is Essential for Bacterial Survival In Vivo

ABSTRACT We produced defined isogenic Helicobacter pylori ureImutants to investigate the function of UreI, the product of one of the genes of the urease cluster. The insertion of a catcassette had a strong polar effect on the expression of the downstream urease genes, resulting in very weak urease activity. Urease activity, measured in vitro, was normal in a strain in which ureI was almost completely deleted and replaced with a nonpolar cassette. In contrast to previous reports, we thus found that the product ofureI was not necessary for the synthesis of active urease. Experiments with the mouse-adapted H. pylori SS1 strain carrying the nonpolar ureI deletion showed that UreI is essential for H. pylori survival in vivo and/or colonization of the mouse stomach. The replacement of ureIwith the nonpolar cassette strongly reduced H. pylorisurvival in acidic conditions (1-h incubation in phosphate-buffered saline solution at pH 2.2) in the presence of 10 mM urea. UreI is predicted to be an integral membrane protein and may therefore be involved in a transport process essential for H. pylori survival in vivo.

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Helicobacter pylori Containing Only Cytoplasmic Urease Is Susceptible to Acid

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.66.11.5060-5066.1998 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 66 (11) ◽

pp. 5060-5066 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

Partha Krishnamurthy ◽

Mary Parlow ◽

Jason B. Zitzer ◽

Nimish B. Vakil ◽

Harry L. T. Mobley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Urease Activity ◽

Acid Resistance ◽

Etiologic Agent ◽

Stationary Phase Culture ◽

Colonization Factor ◽

Acid Environment ◽

H Pylori

ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori, an important etiologic agent in a variety of gastroduodenal diseases, produces large amounts of urease as an essential colonization factor. We have demonstrated previously that urease is located within the cytoplasm and on the surface of H. pylori both in vivo and in stationary-phase culture. The purpose of the present study was to assess the relative contributions of cytoplasmic and surface-localized urease to the ability of H. pylori to survive exposure to acid in the presence of urea. Toward this end, we compared the acid resistance in vitro of H. pylori cells which possessed only cytoplasmic urease to that of bacteria which possessed both cytoplasmic and surface-localized or extracellular urease. Bacteria with only cytoplasmic urease activity were generated by using freshly subcultured bacteria or by treating repeatedly subcultured H. pylori with flurofamide (1 μM), a potent, but poorly diffusible urease inhibitor. H. pyloriwith cytoplasmic and surface-located urease activity survived in an acid environment when 5 mM urea was present. In contrast, H. pylori with only cytoplasmic urease shows significantly reduced survival when exposed to acid in the presence of 5 mM urea. Similarly,Escherichia coli SE5000 expressing H. pyloriurease and the Ni2+ transport protein NixA, which expresses cytoplasmic urease activity at levels similar to those in wild-typeH. pylori, survived minimally when exposed to acid in the presence of 5 to 50 mM urea. We conclude that cytoplasmic urease activity alone is not sufficient (although cytoplasmic urease activity is likely to be necessary) to allow survival of H. pyloriin acid; the activity of surface-localized urease is essential for resistance of H. pylori to acid under the assay conditions used. Therefore, the mechanism whereby urease becomes associated with the surface of H. pylori, which involves release of the enzyme from bacteria due to autolysis followed by adsorption of the enzyme to the surface of intact bacteria (“altruistic autolysis”), is essential for survival of H. pylori in an acid environment. The ability of H. pylori to survive exposure to low pH is likely to depend on a combination of both cytoplasmic and surface-associated urease activities.

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Helicobacter pylori rocF Is Required for Arginase Activity and Acid Protection In Vitro but Is Not Essential for Colonization of Mice or for Urease Activity

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.181.23.7314-7322.1999 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 181 (23) ◽

pp. 7314-7322 ◽

Cited By ~ 81

Author(s):

David J. McGee ◽

Fiona J. Radcliff ◽

George L. Mendz ◽

Richard L. Ferrero ◽

Harry L. T. Mobley

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Urease Activity ◽

Geometric Mean ◽

Acid Exposure ◽

Arginase Activity ◽

Gene Encoding ◽

Acid Sensitivity ◽

H Pylori

ABSTRACT Arginase of the Helicobacter pylori urea cycle hydrolyzes l-arginine to l-ornithine and urea.H. pylori urease hydrolyzes urea to carbon dioxide and ammonium, which neutralizes acid. Both enzymes are involved inH. pylori nitrogen metabolism. The roles of arginase in the physiology of H. pylori were investigated in vitro and in vivo, since arginase in H. pylori is metabolically upstream of urease and urease is known to be required for colonization of animal models by the bacterium. The H. pylori genehp1399, which is orthologous to the Bacillus subtilis rocF gene encoding arginase, was cloned, and isogenic allelic exchange mutants of three H. pylori strains were made by using two different constructs: 236-2 androcF::aphA3. In contrast to wild-type (WT) strains, all rocF mutants were devoid of arginase activity and had diminished serine dehydratase activity, an enzyme activity which generates ammonium. Compared with WT strain 26695 of H. pylori, the rocF::aphA3 mutant was ∼1,000-fold more sensitive to acid exposure. The acid sensitivity of the rocF::aphA3 mutant was not reversed by the addition of l-arginine, in contrast to the WT, and yielded a ∼10,000-fold difference in viability. Urease activity was similar in both strains and both survived acid exposure equally well when exogenous urea was added, indicating that rocF is not required for urease activity in vitro. Finally, H. pylorimouse-adapted strain SS1 and the 236-2 rocF isogenic mutant colonized mice equally well: 8 of 9 versus 9 of 11 mice, respectively. However, the rocF::aphA3 mutant of strain SS1 had moderately reduced colonization (4 of 10 mice). The geometric mean levels of H. pylori recovered from these mice (in log10 CFU) were 6.1, 5.5, and 4.1, respectively. Thus,H. pylori rocF is required for arginase activity and is crucial for acid protection in vitro but is not essential for in vivo colonization of mice or for urease activity.

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In Vivo Complementation of ureB Restores the Ability of Helicobacter pylori To Colonize

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.70.2.771-778.2002 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 771-778 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Kathryn A. Eaton ◽

Joanne V. Gilbert ◽

Elizabeth A. Joyce ◽

Amy E. Wanken ◽

Tracy Thevenot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Urease Activity ◽

Wild Type ◽

Colonization Density ◽

H Pylori ◽

Epithelial Lesions ◽

Derivatives Of ◽

Colonizing Ability

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine (i) if complementation of ureB-negative Helicobacter pylori restores colonization and (ii) if urease is a useful reporter for promoter activity in vivo. Strains used were M6, M6ΔureB, and 10 recombinant derivatives of M6 or M6ΔureB in which urease expression was under the control of different H. pylori promoters. Mice were orally inoculated with either the wild type or one of the mutant strains, and colonization, in vivo urease activity, and extent of gastritis were determined. Of eight M6ΔureB recombinants tested, four colonized mice. Of those, three had the highest in vitro urease activity of any of the recombinants, significantly different from that of the noncolonizing mutants. The fourth colonizing recombinant, with ureB under control of the cag-15 promoter, had in vitro urease activity which did not differ significantly from the noncolonizing strains. In vivo, urease activities of the four colonizing transformants and the wild-type control were indistinguishable. There were no differences in gastritis or epithelial lesions between mice infected with M6 and those infected with the transformants. These results demonstrate that recovery of urease activity can restore colonizing ability to urease-negative H. pylori. They also suggest that cag-15 is upregulated in vivo, as was previously suggested by demonstrating that it is upregulated upon contact with epithelial cells. Finally, our results suggest that total urease activity and colonization density do not contribute to gastritis due to H. pylori.

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Enhanced fitness of a Helicobacter pylori babA mutant in a murine model

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00725-20 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

M. Lorena Harvey ◽

Aung Soe Lin ◽

Lili Sun ◽

Tatsuki Koyama ◽

Jennifer H. B. Shuman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Outer Membrane Proteins ◽

Population Diversity ◽

Fitness Advantage ◽

Neutral Locus ◽

Mutant Strains ◽

Bacterial Fitness ◽

H Pylori

Helicobacter pylori genomes encode >60 predicted outer membrane proteins (OMPs). Several OMPs in the Hop family act as adhesins, but the functions of most Hop proteins are unknown. To identify hop mutant strains that exhibit altered fitness in vivo compared to fitness in vitro , we used a genetic barcoding method that allowed us to track changes in the proportional abundance of H. pylori strains within a mixed population. We generated a library of hop mutant strains, each containing a unique nucleotide barcode, as well as a library of control strains, each containing a nucleotide barcode in an intergenic region predicted to be a neutral locus unrelated to bacterial fitness. We orogastrically inoculated each of the libraries into mice and analyzed compositional changes in the populations over time in vivo compared to changes detected in the populations during library passage in vitro . The control library proliferated as a relatively stable community in vitro, but there was a reduction in the population diversity of this library in vivo and marked variation in the dominant strains recovered from individual animals, consistent with the existence of a non-selective bottleneck in vivo . We did not identify any OMP mutants exhibiting fitness defects exclusively in vivo without corresponding fitness defects in vitro . Conversely, a babA mutant exhibited a strong fitness advantage in vivo but not in vitro . These findings, when taken together with results of other studies, suggest that production of BabA may have differential effects on H. pylori fitness depending on the environmental conditions.

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Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 Attenuates Helicobacter pylori-Associated Gastritis and Reduces Levels of Proinflammatory Chemokines in C57BL/6 Mice

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology ◽

10.1128/cdli.12.12.1378-1386.2005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 1378-1386 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Dionyssios N. Sgouras ◽

Effrosini G. Panayotopoulou ◽

Beatriz Martinez-Gonzalez ◽

Kalliopi Petraki ◽

Spyros Michopoulos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Lamina Propria ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Favorable Effect ◽

Lactobacillus Johnsonii ◽

Ags Cells ◽

Inflammatory Infiltration ◽

H Pylori

ABSTRACT In clinical settings, Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 administration has been reported to have a favorable effect on Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis, although the mechanism remains unclear. We administered, continuously through the water supply, live La1 to H. pylori-infected C57BL/6 mice and followed colonization, the development of H. pylori-associated gastritis in the lamina propria, and the levels of proinflammatory chemokines macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) and keratinocyte-derived cytokine (KC) in the serum and gastric tissue over a period of 3 months. We documented a significant attenuation in both lymphocytic (P = 0.038) and neutrophilic (P = 0.003) inflammatory infiltration in the lamina propria as well as in the circulating levels of anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibodies (P = 0.003), although we did not observe a suppressive effect of La1 on H. pylori colonizing numbers. Other lactobacilli, such as L. amylovorus DCE 471 and L. acidophilus IBB 801, did not attenuate H. pylori-associated gastritis to the same extent. MIP-2 serum levels were distinctly reduced during the early stages of H. pylori infection in the La1-treated animals, as were gastric mucosal levels of MIP-2 and KC. Finally, we also observed a significant reduction (P = 0.046) in H. pylori-induced interleukin-8 secretion by human adenocarcinoma AGS cells in vitro in the presence of neutralized (pH 6.8) La1 spent culture supernatants, without concomitant loss of H. pylori viability. These observations suggest that during the early infection stages, administration of La1 can attenuate H. pylori-induced gastritis in vivo, possibly by reducing proinflammatory chemotactic signals responsible for the recruitment of lymphocytes and neutrophils in the lamina propria.

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Therapeutic effects of Zuojin Pill on Helicobacter pylori-induced chronic atrophic gastritis through JMJD2B/COX-2/VEGF signaling axis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-20652/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shihua Wu ◽

Chunmei Bao ◽

Ruilin Wang ◽

Xiaomei Zhang ◽

Sijia Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Cell Viability ◽

Atrophic Gastritis ◽

Chronic Atrophic Gastritis ◽

Gastric Mucosal Damage ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Cox 2 ◽

H Pylori

Abstract Background: Zuojin Pill (ZJP), a famous Chinese medicinal formula, widely accepted for treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) in China. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of ZJP in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) - induced chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) in vivo and in vitro. Methods: CAG rat model was induced by H. pylori. ZJP (0.63, 1.26, and 2.52 g/kg, respectively) was administered orally for four weeks. Therapeutic effects of ZJP were identified by H&E staining and serum indices. In addition, cell viability, morphology and proliferation were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and high-content screening assay (HCS), respectively. Moreover, relative mRNA expression and protein expression related to JMJD2B/COX-2/VEGF axis was detected to investigate the potential mechanisms of ZJP in CAG. Results: Results showed the symptoms (weight loss and gastric mucosa damage) of CAG were alleviated, and the contents of TNF-α in serum was markedly decreased after treating with ZJP. Moreover, cell viability, proliferation and morphology changes of GES-1 cells were ameliorated by ZJP intervention. In addition, proinflammatory genes and JMJD2B/COX-2/VEGF axis related genes were suppressed by ZJP administration in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot confirmed down-regulation of these genes by ZJP intervention. Conclusion: ZJP treatment can alleviate gastric mucosal damage induced by H. pylori via JMJD2B/COX-2/VEGF axis.

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A Novel 3-Deoxy-d-manno-Octulosonic Acid (Kdo) Hydrolase That Removes the Outer Kdo Sugar of Helicobacter pylori Lipopolysaccharide

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.187.10.3374-3383.2005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 187 (10) ◽

pp. 3374-3383 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Christopher Stead ◽

An Tran ◽

Donald Ferguson ◽

Sara McGrath ◽

Robert Cotter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Lipid A ◽

In Vitro Assay ◽

Spectrometric Analysis ◽

Vitro Assay ◽

The Core ◽

H Pylori

ABSTRACT The lipid A domain anchors lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to the outer membrane and is typically a disaccharide of glucosamine that is both acylated and phosphorylated. The core and O-antigen carbohydrate domains are linked to the lipid A moiety through the eight-carbon sugar 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid known as Kdo. Helicobacter pylori LPS has been characterized as having a single Kdo residue attached to lipid A, predicting in vivo a monofunctional Kdo transferase (WaaA). However, using an in vitro assay system we demonstrate that H. pylori WaaA is a bifunctional enzyme transferring two Kdo sugars to the tetra-acylated lipid A precursor lipid IVA. In the present work we report the discovery of a Kdo hydrolase in membranes of H. pylori capable of removing the outer Kdo sugar from Kdo2-lipid A. Enzymatic removal of the Kdo group was dependent upon prior removal of the 1-phosphate group from the lipid A domain, and mass spectrometric analysis of the reaction product confirmed the enzymatic removal of a single Kdo residue by the Kdo-trimming enzyme. This is the first characterization of a Kdo hydrolase involved in the modification of gram-negative bacterial LPS.

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3-Pentylcatechol, a Non-Allergenic Urushiol Derivative, Displays Anti-Helicobacter pylori Activity In Vivo

Pharmaceuticals ◽

10.3390/ph13110384 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 384

Author(s):

Hang Yeon Jeong ◽

Tae Ho Lee ◽

Ju Gyeong Kim ◽

Sueun Lee ◽

Changjong Moon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Triple Therapy ◽

Inflammatory Cells ◽

Control Group ◽

Vitro Assay ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

H Pylori ◽

Stomach Mucous Membrane

We previously reported that 3-pentylcatechol (PC), a synthetic non-allergenic urushiol derivative, inhibited the growth of Helicobacter pylori in an in vitro assay using nutrient agar and broth. In this study, we aimed to investigate the in vivo antimicrobial activity of PC against H. pylori growing in the stomach mucous membrane. Four-week-old male C57BL/6 mice (n = 4) were orally inoculated with H. pylori Sydney Strain-1 (SS-1) for 8 weeks. Thereafter, the mice received PC (1, 5, and 15 mg/kg) and triple therapy (omeprazole, 0.7 mg/kg; metronidazole, 16.7 mg/kg; clarithromycin, 16.7 mg/kg, reference groups) once daily for 10 days. Infiltration of inflammatory cells in gastric tissue was greater in the H. pylori-infected group compared with the control group and lower in both the triple therapy- and PC-treated groups. In addition, upregulation of cytokine mRNA was reversed after infection, upon administration of triple therapy and PC. Interestingly, PC was more effective than triple therapy at all doses, even at 1/15th the dose of triple therapy. In addition, PC demonstrated synergism with triple therapy, even at low concentrations. The results suggest that PC may be more effective against H. pylori than established antibiotics.

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Helicobacter pylori is killed by nitrite under acidic conditions

Gut ◽

10.1136/gut.42.3.334 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 334-337 ◽

Cited By ~ 96

Author(s):

R S Dykhuizen ◽

A Fraser ◽

H McKenzie ◽

M Golden ◽

C Leifert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Anaerobic Bacteria ◽

Antimicrobial Effect ◽

Human Stomach ◽

Bacterial Survival ◽

Novel Host ◽

Potassium Nitrite ◽

Acidic Conditions ◽

H Pylori ◽

Facultative Anaerobic Bacteria

Background—Due to the expression of urease,Helicobacter pylori is able to establish itself in the human stomach under acidic conditions. A novel host defence mechanism was recently proposed, suggesting that the formation of salivary nitrite in symbiosis with facultative anaerobic bacteria in the oropharynx, is aimed at enhancing the antimicrobial activity of gastric juice.Aims—To investigate whether the addition of nitrite in physiological concentrations influences the resistance ofH pylori to acid.Methods—H pylori cultured from fresh gastric biopsy specimens was exposed for 30 minutes to normal saline and to HCl/KCl buffer (0.2M) at pH 2 with urea (5 mM) added. The influence of potassium nitrite (50–1000 μmol/l) on bacterial survival was determined.Results—Addition of nitrite (1 mM) to acidic solutions (pH 2) resulted in complete kill of H pyloriwithin 30 minutes exposure time whereas acid alone allowed the organism to survive (p<0.001). The antimicrobial effect of nitrite at pH 2 against H pylori was dose dependent and complete kill of organisms occurred at concentrations ⩾500 μmol/l.Conclusion—Acidified nitrite has antibacterial activity against H pylori. This should prompt further research into the effect of salivary nitrite on the survival of H pylori in the human stomach.

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