scholarly journals Dependence of Helicobacter pylori Urease Activity on the Nickel-Sequestering Ability of the UreE Accessory Protein

2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (16) ◽  
pp. 4787-4795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Benoit ◽  
Robert J. Maier
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Urease Activity ◽  
Binding Capacity ◽  
Accessory Protein ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Extra Copy ◽  
Nickel Ion ◽  
Partial Restoration ◽  
H Pylori

ABSTRACT The Helicobacter pylori ureE gene product was previously shown to be required for urease expression, but its characteristics and role have not been determined. The UreE protein has now been overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and characterized, and three altered versions were expressed to address a nickel-sequestering role of UreE. Purified UreE formed a dimer in solution and was capable of binding one nickel ion per dimer. Introduction of an extra copy of ureE into the chromosome of mutants carrying mutations in the Ni maturation proteins HypA and HypB resulted in partial restoration of urease activity (up to 24% of the wild-type levels). Fusion proteins of UreE with increased ability to bind nickel were constructed by adding histidine-rich sequences (His-6 or His-10 to the C terminus and His-10 as a sandwich fusion) to the UreE protein. Each fusion protein was overexpressed in E. coli and purified, and its nickel-binding capacity and affinity were determined. Each construct was also expressed in wild-type H. pylori and in hypA and hypB mutant strains for determining in vivo urease activities. The urease activity was increased by introduction of all the engineered versions, with the greatest Ni-sequestering version (the His-6 version) also conferring the greatest urease activity on both the hypA and hypB mutants. The differences in urease activities were not due to differences in the amounts of urease peptides. Addition of His-6 to another expressed protein (triose phosphate isomerase) did not result in stimulation of urease, so urease activation is not related to the level of nonspecific protein-bound nickel. The results indicate a correlation between H. pylori urease activity and the nickel-sequestering ability of the UreE accessory protein.

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

2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 771-778 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals In Vivo Behavior of a Helicobacter pylori SS1 nixA Mutant with Reduced Urease Activity

2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 685-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kylie J. Nolan ◽  
David J. McGee ◽  
Hazel M. Mitchell ◽  
Tassia Kolesnikow ◽  
Janette M. Harro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Urease Activity ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Bacterial Colony ◽  
Nickel Ions ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance Cassette ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
H Pylori

ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori mutants devoid of urease activity fail to colonize the gastric mucosa of mice; however, the effect of decreased levels of urease on colonization has not been examined. The nixA gene, required for full urease activity, encodes a cytoplasmic membrane nickel transporter that imports nickel ions and leads to incorporation of nickel ions into apourease. A nixA mutant of the Sydney strain of H. pylori (SS1) was constructed by disruption of the nixA gene with a kanamycin resistance cassette. This mutant retained only half the urease activity of the wild-type (wild-type) SS1 strain. C57BL/6j (n = 75) and BALB/c (n = 75) mice were inoculated independently with the wild-type or the nixA strain. The level and distribution of colonization were assessed by bacterial colony counts and histological grading at 4, 12, and 24 weeks postinfection. Colonization levels of the nixA strain in BALB/c mice were significantly lower compared with SS1 (P = 0.005), while colonization in C57BL/6j mice was similar for both the wild-type and mutant strains. Subtle differences in colonization of the different regions of the stomach, determined by microscopic grading, were observed between wild-type SS1 and the nixA strain in BALB/c mice. On the contrary, when C57BL/6j (n = 35) and BALB/c (n = 35) mice were coinfected with the wild-type and nixA strains simultaneously, the nixA mutant failed to colonize and was outcompeted by the wild-type SS1 strain, which established normal levels of colonization. These results demonstrate the importance of the nixA gene for increasing the fitness of H. pylori for gastric colonization. Since nixA is required for full urease activity, the decreased fitness of the nixA mutant is likely due to reduced urease activity; however, pleiotropic effects of the mutation cannot be completely ruled out.

scholarly journals Systems Modeling of the Role of Interleukin-21 in the Maintenance of Effector CD4+ T Cell Responses during Chronic Helicobacter pylori Infection

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adria Carbo ◽  
Danyvid Olivares-Villagómez ◽  
Raquel Hontecillas ◽  
Josep Bassaganya-Riera ◽  
Rupesh Chaturvedi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interleukin 21 ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
Deficient Mice

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.

scholarly journals The Entner-Doudoroff Pathway Has Little Effect on Helicobacter pylori Colonization of Mice

2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 2920-2923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy E. Wanken ◽  
Tyrrell Conway ◽  
Kathryn A. Eaton
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
Type Strains

ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori mutants deficient in 6-phosphogluconate dehydratase (6PGD) were constructed. Colonization densities were lower and minimum infectious doses were higher for mutant strains than for wild-type strains. In spite of better colonization, however, wild-type strains did not displace the mutant in cocolonization experiments. Loss of 6PGD diminishes the fitness of H. pylori in vivo, but the pathway is nonessential for colonization.

scholarly journals Helicobacter pylori Containing Only Cytoplasmic Urease Is Susceptible to Acid

1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 5060-5066 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Helicobacter pylori Stores Nickel To Aid Its Host Colonization

2012 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 580-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane L. Benoit ◽  
Erica F. Miller ◽  
Robert J. Maier
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Gastric Mucosa ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Rank Tests ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Host Mouse ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
Very High

ABSTRACTThe transition metal nickel (Ni) is critical for the pathogenicity ofHelicobacter pylori. Indeed the element is a required component of two enzymes, hydrogenase and urease, that have been shown to be important forin vivocolonization of the host gastric mucosa. Urease accounts for up to 10% of the total cellularH. pyloriprotein content, and therefore the bacterial Ni demand is very high.H. pyloripossess two small and abundant histidine-rich, Ni-binding proteins, Hpn and Hpn-like, whose physiological role in the host have not been investigated. In this study, special husbandry conditions were used to control Ni levels in the host (mouse), including the use of Ni-free versus Ni-supplemented food. The efficacy of each diet was confirmed by measuring the Ni concentrations in sera of mice fed with either diet. Colonization levels (based on rank tests) of theΔhpn Δhpn-like double mutants isolated from the mice provided Ni-deficient chow were statistically lower than those for mice given Ni in their diet. In contrast,H. pyloriwild-type colonization levels were similar in both host groups (e.g., regardless of Ni levels). Our results indicate that the gastric pathogenH. pylorican utilize stored Ni via defined histidine-rich proteins to aid colonization of the host.

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

1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 4517-4521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Skouloubris ◽  
Jean-Michel Thiberge ◽  
Agnès Labigne ◽  
Hilde De Reuse
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Urease Activity ◽  
Saline Solution ◽  
Integral Membrane Protein ◽  
Bacterial Survival ◽  
Acidic Conditions ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
Phosphate Buffered Saline

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.

scholarly journals Acid-Responsive Gene Induction of Ammonia-Producing Enzymes in Helicobacter pylori Is Mediated via a Metal-Responsive Repressor Cascade

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 766-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnoud H. M. van Vliet ◽  
Ernst J. Kuipers ◽  
Jeroen Stoof ◽  
Sophie W. Poppelaars ◽  
Johannes G. Kusters
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Urease Activity ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Amidase Activity ◽  
Adaptive Mechanisms ◽  
Acidic Conditions ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
High Level

ABSTRACT Although the adaptive mechanisms allowing the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori to survive acid shocks have been well documented, the mechanisms allowing growth at mildly acidic conditions (pH ∼5.5) are still poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that H. pylori strain 26695 increases the transcription and activity of its urease, amidase, and formamidase enzymes four- to ninefold in response to growth at pH 5.5. Supplementation of growth medium with NiCl2 resulted in a similar induction of urease activity (at low NiCl2 concentration) and amidase activity (at ≥500 μM NiCl2) but did not affect formamidase activity. Mutation of the fur gene, which encodes an iron-responsive repressor of both amidases, resulted in a constitutively high level of amidase and formamidase activity at either pH but did not affect urease activity at pH 7.0 or pH 5.5. In contrast, mutation of the nikR gene, encoding the nickel-responsive activator of urease expression, resulted in a significant reduction of acid-responsive induction of amidase and formamidase activity. Finally, acid-responsive repression of fur transcription was absent in the H. pylori nikR mutant, whereas transcription of the nikR gene itself was increased at pH 5.5 in wild-type H. pylori. We hypothesize that H. pylori uses a repressor cascade to respond to low pH, with NikR initiating the response directly via the urease operon and indirectly via the members of the Fur regulon.

scholarly journals TLR9 activation suppresses inflammation in response to Helicobacter pylori infection

2016 ◽  
Vol 311 (5) ◽  
pp. G852-G858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew G. Varga ◽  
M. Blanca Piazuelo ◽  
Judith Romero-Gallo ◽  
Alberto G. Delgado ◽  
Giovanni Suarez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Host Genotype ◽  
Immunological Responses ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
H Pylori

Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori) induces chronic gastritis in humans, and infection can persist for decades. One H. pylori strain-specific constituent that augments disease risk is the cag pathogenicity island. The cag island encodes a type IV secretion system (T4SS) that translocates DNA into host cells. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is an innate immune receptor that detects hypo-methylated CpG DNA motifs. In this study, we sought to define the role of the H. pylori cag T4SS on TLR9-mediated responses in vivo. H. pylori strain PMSS1 or its cagE − mutant, which fails to assemble a T4SS, were used to infect wild-type or Tlr9 −/− C57BL/6 mice. PMSS1-infected Tlr9 −/− mice developed significantly higher levels of inflammation, despite similar levels of colonization density, compared with PMSS1-infected wild-type mice. These changes were cag dependent, as both mouse genotypes infected with the cagE − mutant only developed minimal inflammation. Tlr9 −/− genotypes did not alter the microbial phenotypes of in vivo-adapted H. pylori strains; therefore, we examined host immunological responses. There were no differences in levels of TH1 or TH2 cytokines in infected mice when stratified by host genotype. However, gastric mucosal levels of IL-17 were significantly increased in infected Tlr9 −/− mice compared with infected wild-type mice, and H. pylori infection of IL-17A −/− mice concordantly led to significantly decreased levels of gastritis. Thus loss of Tlr9 selectively augments the intensity of IL-17-driven immune responses to H. pylori in a cag T4SS-dependent manner. These results suggest that H. pylori utilizes the cag T4SS to manipulate the intensity of the host immune response.

scholarly journals Lactobacilli Reduce Helicobacter pylori Attachment to Host Gastric Epithelial Cells by Inhibiting Adhesion Gene Expression

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 1526-1535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nele de Klerk ◽  
Lisa Maudsdotter ◽  
Hanna Gebreegziabher ◽  
Sunil D. Saroj ◽  
Beatrice Eriksson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Binding Capacity ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Gastric Epithelial Cells ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effector Molecule ◽  
H Pylori

The human gastrointestinal tract, including the harsh environment of the stomach, harbors a large variety of bacteria, of whichLactobacillusspecies are prominent members. The molecular mechanisms by which species of lactobacilli interfere with pathogen colonization are not fully characterized. In this study, we aimed to study the effect of lactobacillus strains upon the initial attachment ofHelicobacter pylorito host cells. Here we report a novel mechanism by which lactobacilli inhibit adherence of the gastric pathogenH. pylori. In a screen withLactobacillusisolates, we found that only a few could reduce adherence ofH. pylorito gastric epithelial cells. Decreased attachment was not due to competition for space or to lactobacillus-mediated killing of the pathogen. Instead, we show that lactobacilli act onH. pyloridirectly by an effector molecule that is released into the medium. This effector molecule acts onH. pyloriby inhibiting expression of the adhesin-encoding genesabA. Finally, we verified that inhibitory lactobacilli reducedH. pyloricolonization in anin vivomodel. In conclusion, certainLactobacillusstrains affect pathogen adherence by inhibitingsabAexpression and thereby reducingH. pyloribinding capacity.

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