Chemorepulsion from the Quorum Signal Autoinducer-2 Promotes Helicobacter pylori Biofilm Dispersal

ABSTRACT The gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori forms biofilms on abiotic and biotic surfaces. We have shown previously that H. pylori perceives the quorum signal autoinducer-2 (AI-2) as a chemorepellent. We report here that H. pylori chemorepulsion from endogenous AI-2 influences the proportions and spatial organization of cells within biofilms. Strains that fail to produce AI-2 (∆luxS strains) or are defective for chemotaxis (∆cheA strains) formed more spatially homogenous biofilms with a greater proportion of adherent versus planktonic cells than wild-type biofilms. Reciprocally, a strain that overproduced AI-2 (luxSOP ) formed biofilms with proportionally fewer adherent cells. Along with the known AI-2 chemoreceptor, TlpB, we identified AibA and AibB, two novel periplasmic binding proteins that are required for the AI-2 chemorepulsion response. Disruptions in any of the proteins required for AI-2 chemotaxis recapitulated the biofilm adherence and spatial organization phenotype of the ∆luxS mutant. Furthermore, exogenous administration of AI-2 was sufficient to decrease the proportion of adherent cells in biofilms and promote dispersal of cells from biofilms in a chemotaxis-dependent manner. Finally, we found that disruption of AI-2 production or AI-2 chemotaxis resulted in increased clustering of cells in microcolonies on cultured epithelial cells. We conclude that chemotaxis from AI-2 is a determinant of H. pylori biofilm spatial organization and dispersal. IMPORTANCE Bacterial biofilms are ubiquitous in nature, but the mechanisms governing their assembly and spatial organization are not fully understood. Bacterial communication through quorum sensing has been shown to influence biofilm growth through the regulation of biofilm genes. Our study revealed a new role for quorum sensing in biofilms through rapid chemotactic responses to quorum signals. Specifically, we studied how chemorepulsion of Helicobacter pylori from the universal quorum signal autoinducer-2 (AI-2) shapes the spatial organization of its biofilms. We demonstrate that the chemorepulsive response of H. pylori to AI-2 is necessary to promote its dispersal from biofilms grown on both abiotic and biotic surfaces and is sufficient to promote dispersal in a chemotaxis-dependent manner. This work has broad implications for understanding the mechanisms by which endogenously produced microbial compounds shape the assembly and spatial organization of microbial communities in their environments.

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Agent-Based Modeling Demonstrates How Local Chemotactic Behavior Can Shape Biofilm Architecture

mSphere ◽

10.1128/msphere.00285-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Emily G. Sweeney ◽

Andrew Nishida ◽

Alexandra Weston ◽

Maria S. Bañuelos ◽

Kristin Potter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Structural Features ◽

Agent Based Modeling ◽

Emergent Properties ◽

Cellular Interactions ◽

Biofilm Growth ◽

Content Type ◽

Agent Based ◽

H Pylori

ABSTRACTBacteria are often found living in aggregated multicellular communities known as biofilms. Biofilms are three-dimensional structures that confer distinct physical and biological properties to the collective of cells living within them. We used agent-based modeling to explore whether local cellular interactions were sufficient to give rise to global structural features of biofilms. Specifically, we asked whether chemorepulsion from a self-produced quorum-sensing molecule, autoinducer-2 (AI-2), was sufficient to recapitulate biofilm growth and cellular organization observed for biofilms ofHelicobacter pylori, a common bacterial resident of human stomachs. To carry out this modeling, we modified an existing platform, Individual-based Dynamics of Microbial Communities Simulator (iDynoMiCS), to incorporate three-dimensional chemotaxis, planktonic cells that could join or leave the biofilm structure, and cellular production of AI-2. We simulated biofilm growth of previously characterizedH. pyloristrains with various AI-2 production and sensing capacities. Using biologically plausible parameters, we were able to recapitulate both the variation in biofilm mass and cellular distributions observed with these strains. Specifically, the strains that were competent to chemotax away from AI-2 produced smaller and more heterogeneously spaced biofilms, whereas the AI-2 chemotaxis-defective strains produced larger and more homogeneously spaced biofilms. The model also provided new insights into the cellular demographics contributing to the biofilm patterning of each strain. Our analysis supports the idea that cellular interactions at small spatial and temporal scales are sufficient to give rise to larger-scale emergent properties of biofilms.IMPORTANCEMost bacteria exist in aggregated, three-dimensional structures called biofilms. Although biofilms play important ecological roles in natural and engineered settings, they can also pose societal problems, for example, when they grow in plumbing systems or on medical implants. Understanding the processes that promote the growth and disassembly of biofilms could lead to better strategies to manage these structures. We had previously shown thatHelicobacter pyloribacteria are repulsed by high concentrations of a self-produced molecule, AI-2, and thatH. pylorimutants deficient in AI-2 sensing form larger and more homogeneously spaced biofilms. Here, we used computer simulations of biofilm formation to show that localH. pyloribehavior of repulsion from high AI-2 could explain the overall architecture ofH. pyloribiofilms. Our findings demonstrate that it is possible to change global biofilm organization by manipulating local cell behaviors, which suggests that simple strategies targeting cells at local scales could be useful for controlling biofilms in industrial and medical settings.

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The Helicobacter pylori Autotransporter ImaA (HP0289) Modulates the Immune Response and Contributes to Host Colonization

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00312-12 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 80 (7) ◽

pp. 2286-2296 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

William E. Sause ◽

Andrea R. Castillo ◽

Karen M. Ottemann

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Membrane Protein ◽

Outer Membrane ◽

Outer Membrane Protein ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Wild Type ◽

Content Type ◽

H Pylori ◽

Murine Infections

ABSTRACTThe human pathogenHelicobacter pyloriemploys a diverse collection of outer membrane proteins to colonize, persist, and drive disease within the acidic gastric environment. In this study, we sought to elucidate the function of the host-induced geneHP0289, which encodes an uncharacterized outer membrane protein. We first generated an isogenicH. pylorimutant that lacksHP0289and found that the mutant has a colonization defect in single-strain infections and is greatly outcompeted in mouse coinfection experiments with wild-typeH. pylori. Furthermore, we used protease assays and biochemical fractionation coupled with an HP0289-targeted peptide antibody to verify that the HP0289 protein resides in the outer membrane. Our previous findings showed that theHP0289promoter is upregulated in the mouse stomach, and here we demonstrate thatHP0289expression is induced under acidic conditions in an ArsRS-dependent manner. Finally, we have shown that theHP0289mutant induces greater expression of the chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) and the cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in gastric carcinoma cells (AGS). Similarly, transcription of the IL-8 homolog keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) is elevated in murine infections with the HP0289 mutant than in murine infections with wild-typeH. pylori. On the basis of this phenotype, we renamed HP0289 ImaA forimmunomodulatoryautotransporter protein. Our work has revealed that genes inducedin vivoplay an important role inH. pyloripathogenesis. Specifically, the outer membrane protein ImaA modulates a component of the host inflammatory response, and thus may allowH. pylorito fine tune the host immune response based on ImaA expression.

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The Quorum-Sensing Molecule Autoinducer 2 Regulates Motility and Flagellar Morphogenesis in Helicobacter pylori

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.00246-07 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 189 (17) ◽

pp. 6109-6117 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Bethany A. Rader ◽

Shawn R. Campagna ◽

Martin F. Semmelhack ◽

Bonnie L. Bassler ◽

Karen Guillemin

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Quorum Sensing ◽

Sigma Factor ◽

Critical Role ◽

Soft Agar ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Flagellar Gene ◽

Wild Type ◽

Autoinducer 2 ◽

Mutant Phenotypes

ABSTRACT The genome of the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori contains a homologue of the gene luxS, which has been shown to be responsible for production of the quorum-sensing signal autoinducer 2 (AI-2). We report here that deletion of the luxS gene in strain G27 resulted in decreased motility on soft agar plates, a defect that was complemented by a wild-type copy of the luxS gene and by the addition of cell-free supernatant containing AI-2. The flagella of the luxS mutant appeared normal; however, in genetic backgrounds lacking any of three flagellar regulators—the two-component sensor kinase flgS, the sigma factor σ28 (also called fliA), and the anti-sigma factor flgM—loss of luxS altered flagellar morphology. In all cases, the double mutant phenotypes were restored to the luxS + phenotype by the addition of synthetic 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (DPD), which cyclizes to form AI-2. Furthermore, in all mutant backgrounds loss of luxS caused a decrease in transcript levels of the flagellar regulator flhA. Addition of DPD to luxS cells induced flhA transcription in a dose-dependent manner. Deletion of flhA in a wild-type or luxS mutant background resulted in identical loss of motility, flagella, and flagellar gene expression. These data demonstrate that AI-2 functions as a secreted signaling molecule upstream of FlhA and plays a critical role in global regulation of flagellar gene transcription in H. pylori.

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Modification of the Gastric Mucosal Microbiota by a Strain-Specific Helicobacter pylori Oncoprotein and Carcinogenic Histologic Phenotype

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00955-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jennifer M. Noto ◽

Joseph P. Zackular ◽

Matthew G. Varga ◽

Alberto Delgado ◽

Judith Romero-Gallo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Community Structure ◽

Microbial Community ◽

Iron Deficiency ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Content Type ◽

Β Diversity ◽

H Pylori ◽

Gastric Microbiota

ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori is the strongest risk factor for gastric adenocarcinoma; however, most infected individuals never develop this malignancy. Strain-specific microbial factors, such as the oncoprotein CagA, as well as environmental conditions, such as iron deficiency, augment cancer risk. Importantly, dysbiosis of the gastric microbiota is also associated with gastric cancer. To investigate the combinatorial effects of these determinants in an in vivo model of gastric cancer, Mongolian gerbils were infected with the carcinogenic cag+ H. pylori strain 7.13 or a 7.13 cagA isogenic mutant, and microbial DNA extracted from gastric tissue was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Infection with H. pylori significantly increased gastric inflammation and injury, decreased α-diversity, and altered microbial community structure in a cagA-dependent manner. The effect of iron deficiency on gastric microbial communities was also investigated within the context of infection. H. pylori-induced injury was augmented under conditions of iron deficiency, but despite differences in gastric pathology, there were no significant differences in α- or β-diversity, phyla, or operational taxonomic unit (OTU) abundance among infected gerbils maintained on iron-replete or iron-depleted diets. However, when microbial composition was stratified based solely on the severity of histologic injury, significant differences in α- and β-diversity were present among gerbils harboring premalignant or malignant lesions compared to gerbils with gastritis alone. This study demonstrates that H. pylori decreases gastric microbial diversity and community structure in a cagA-dependent manner and that as carcinogenesis progresses, there are corresponding alterations in community structure that parallel the severity of disease. IMPORTANCE Microbial communities are essential for the maintenance of human health, and when these communities are altered, hosts can become susceptible to inflammation and disease. Dysbiosis contributes to gastrointestinal cancers, and specific bacterial species are associated with this phenotype. This study uses a robust and reproducible animal model to demonstrate that H. pylori infection induces gastric dysbiosis in a cagA-dependent manner and further that dysbiosis and altered microbial community structure parallel the severity of H. pylori-induced gastric injury. Ultimately, such models of H. pylori infection and cancer that can effectively evaluate multiple determinants simultaneously may yield effective strategies for manipulating the gastric microbiota to prevent the development of gastric cancer.

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Differential Roles of ASK1 and TAK1 in Helicobacter pylori-Induced Cellular Responses

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00914-13 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 81 (12) ◽

pp. 4551-4560 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Yoku Hayakawa ◽

Yoshihiro Hirata ◽

Hiroto Kinoshita ◽

Kosuke Sakitani ◽

Hayato Nakagawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Epithelial Cells ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Critical Role ◽

Cellular Responses ◽

Mapk Signaling ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Content Type ◽

H Pylori ◽

Jnk Activation

ABSTRACTThe mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway regulates various cellular functions, including those induced byHelicobacter pylori. TAK1 is an upstream MAPK kinase kinase (MAP3K) required forH. pylori-induced MAPK and NF-κB activation, but it remains unclear whether other MAP3Ks are involved inH. pylori-induced cellular responses. In this study, we focused on the MAP3K ASK1, which plays a critical role in gastric tumorigenesis. In gastric epithelial cells,H. pyloriactivates ASK1 in a reactive oxygen species (ROS)- andcagpathogenicity island-dependent manner, and ASK1 regulates sustained JNK activation and apoptosis induced byH. pylori. In contrast, TAK1 regulatesH. pylori-mediated early JNK activation and cytokine production. We also found reciprocal regulation between ASK1 and TAK1 inH. pylori-related responses, whereby inhibition of TAK1 or downstream p38 MAPK activates ASK1 through ROS production, and ASK1 suppresses TAK1 and downstream NF-κB activation. We identified ROS/ASK1/JNK as a new signaling pathway induced byH. pylori, which regulates apoptotic cell death. The balance of ASK1-induced apoptosis and TAK1-induced antiapoptotic or inflammatory responses may determine the fate of epithelial cells infected withH. pyloriand thus be involved in the pathogenesis of gastritis and gastric cancer.

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Analysis of Autoinducer-2 Quorum Sensing in Yersinia pestis

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00880-13 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 81 (11) ◽

pp. 4053-4062 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Jing Yu ◽

Melissa L. Madsen ◽

Michael D. Carruthers ◽

Gregory J. Phillips ◽

Jeffrey S. Kavanaugh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

Yersinia Pestis ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Biochemical Characterization ◽

Global Analysis ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Logarithmic Growth Phase ◽

Content Type ◽

Stress Genes ◽

Autoinducer 2

ABSTRACTThe autoinducer-2 (AI-2) quorum-sensing system has been linked to diverse phenotypes and regulatory changes in pathogenic bacteria. In the present study, we performed a molecular and biochemical characterization of the AI-2 system inYersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. In strain CO92, the AI-2 signal is produced in aluxS-dependent manner, reaching maximal levels of 2.5 μM in the late logarithmic growth phase, and both wild-type and pigmentation (pgm) mutant strains made equivalent levels of AI-2. Strain CO92 possesses a chromosomallsrlocus encoding factors involved in the binding and import of AI-2, and confirming this assignment, anlsrdeletion mutant increased extracellular pools of AI-2. To assess the functional role of AI-2 sensing inY. pestis, microarray studies were conducted by comparing Δpgmstrain R88 to a ΔpgmΔluxSmutant or a quorum-sensing-null ΔpgmΔypeIRΔyspIRΔluxSmutant at 37°C. Our data suggest that AI-2 quorum sensing is associated with metabolic activities and oxidative stress genes that may helpY. pestissurvive at the host temperature. This was confirmed by observing that theluxSmutant was more sensitive to killing by hydrogen peroxide, suggesting a potential requirement for AI-2 in evasion of oxidative damage. We also show that a large number of membrane protein genes are controlled by LuxS, suggesting a role for quorum sensing in membrane modeling. Altogether, this study provides the first global analysis of AI-2 signaling inY. pestisand identifies potential roles for the system in controlling genes important to disease.

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Helicobacter pylori perceives the quorum-sensing molecule AI-2 as a chemorepellent via the chemoreceptor TlpB

Microbiology ◽

10.1099/mic.0.049353-0 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 157 (9) ◽

pp. 2445-2455 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

Bethany A. Rader ◽

Christopher Wreden ◽

Kevin G. Hicks ◽

Emily Goers Sweeney ◽

Karen M. Ottemann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

Double Mutant ◽

Soft Agar ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Wild Type ◽

Environmental Chemical ◽

Single Mutant ◽

Autoinducer 2 ◽

Reduced Frequency ◽

H Pylori

Helicobacter pylori moves in response to environmental chemical cues using a chemotaxis two-component signal-transduction system. Autoinducer-2 (AI-2) is a quorum-sensing signal produced by the LuxS protein that accumulates in the bacterial environment in a density-dependent manner. We showed previously that a H. pylori luxS mutant was defective in motility on soft agar plates. Here we report that deletion of the luxS gene resulted in swimming behaviour with a reduced frequency of stops as compared to the wild-type strain. Stopping frequency was restored to wild-type levels by genetic complementation of the luxS mutation or by addition of synthetic 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (DPD), which cyclizes to form AI-2. Synthetic DPD also increased the frequency of stops in wild-type H. pylori, similar to the behaviour induced by the known chemorepellent HCl. We found that whereas mutants lacking the chemoreceptor genes tlpA, tlpC or tlpD responded to an exogenous source of synthetic DPD, the chemoreceptor mutant tlpB was non-responsive to a gradient or uniform distribution of the chemical. Furthermore, a double mutant lacking both tlpB and luxS exhibited chemotactic behaviour similar to the tlpB single mutant, whereas a double mutant lacking both tlpB and the chemotransduction gene cheA behaved like a nonchemotactic cheA single mutant, supporting the model that tlpB functions in a signalling pathway downstream of luxS and upstream of cheA. We conclude that H. pylori perceives LuxS-produced AI-2 as a chemorepellent via the chemoreceptor TlpB.

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Agent-Based Modeling Demonstrates How Local Chemotactic Behavior Can Shape Biofilm Architecture

10.1101/421610 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Emily G. Sweeney ◽

Andrew Nishida ◽

Alexandra Weston ◽

Maria S. Bañuelos ◽

Kristin Potter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Structural Features ◽

Agent Based Modeling ◽

Emergent Properties ◽

Cellular Interactions ◽

Biofilm Growth ◽

Agent Based ◽

Autoinducer 2 ◽

H Pylori

AbstractMature bacterial biofilms have elaborate three-dimensional architectures that endow these structures with their durability and resistance to environmental perturbations. We used agent-based modeling to explore whether local cellular interactions were sufficient to give rise to global structural features of biofilms. Specifically, we asked whether chemorepulsion from a self-produced quorum-sensing molecule, autoinducer-2 (AI-2), was sufficient to recapitulate biofilm growth and cellular organization observed for biofilms of the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori. To carry out this modeling, we modified an existing platform, Individual-based Dynamics of Microbial Communities Simulator (iDynoMiCS), to incorporate three-dimensional chemotaxis, planktonic cells that could join or leave the biofilm structure, and cellular production of AI-2. We simulated biofilm growth of previously characterized H. pylori strains with varying AI-2 production and sensing capacities. Using biologically plausible parameters, we were able to recapitulate both the variation in biofilm mass and cellular distributions observed with these strains. Specifically, the strains that were competent to chemotax away from AI-2 produced smaller and more heterogeneously spaced biofilms, whereas the AI-2 chemotaxis defective strains produced larger and more homogeneously spaced biofilms. The model also provided new insights into the cellular demographics contributing to the biofilm patterning of each strain. Our analysis supports the idea that cellular interactions at small spatial and temporal scales are sufficient to give rise to larger scale emergent properties of biofilms.ImportanceMost bacteria exist in aggregated, three-dimensional structures called biofilms. Biofilms are resistant to antimicrobials and can pose societal problems, for example when they grow in plumbing systems or on medical implants. Understanding the processes that promote the growth and disassembly of biofilms could lead to better strategies to manage these structures. We had previously shown that Helicobacter pylori bacteria are repulsed by high concentrations of a self-produced molecule, autoinducer-2 (AI-2) and that H. pylori mutants deficient in AI-2 sensing form larger and more homogeneously spaced biofilms. Here we used computer simulations of biofilm formation to show that local H. pylori behavior of repulsion from high AI-2 could explain the overall architecture of H. pylori biofilms. Our findings demonstrate that it is possible to change global biofilm organization by manipulating local cell behaviors, which suggests that simple strategies targeting cells at local scales could be useful for controlling biofilms in industrial and medical settings.

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The HopQ-CEACAM Interaction Controls CagA Translocation, Phosphorylation, and Phagocytosis of Helicobacter pylori in Neutrophils

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.03256-19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ina-Kristin Behrens ◽

Benjamin Busch ◽

Hellen Ishikawa-Ankerhold ◽

Pia Palamides ◽

John E. Shively ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Tyrosine Phosphorylation ◽

Oxidative Burst ◽

Receptor Expression ◽

Humanized Mice ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Content Type ◽

Gastric Pathology ◽

Translocation Efficiency ◽

H Pylori

ABSTRACT The cag type IV secretion system (cag-T4SS) of Helicobacter pylori exploits specific cellular carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs), such as CEACAM1, -3, -5, and -6, as cellular receptors for CagA translocation into human gastric epithelial cells. We studied the interaction of H. pylori with human CEACAM1, CEACAM3, and CEACAM6 receptors (hCEACAMs) expressed on myeloid cells from CEACAM-humanized mice. Human and CEACAM-humanized mouse polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) allowed a specific HopQ-dependent interaction strongly enhancing CagA translocation. Translocated CagA was tyrosine phosphorylated, which was not seen in wild-type (wt) murine neutrophils. In contrast, human or murine bone marrow-derived macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) revealed a low hCEACAM expression and bacterial binding. CagA translocation and tyrosine-phosphorylation was low and independent of the HopQ-CEACAM interaction. Neutrophils, but not macrophages or DCs, from CEACAM-humanized mice, significantly upregulated the proinflammatory chemokine MIP-1α. However, macrophages showed a significantly reduced amount of CXCL1 (KC) and CCL2 (MCP-1) secretion in CEACAM-humanized versus wt cells. Thus, H. pylori, via the HopQ-CEACAM interaction, controls the production and secretion of chemokines differently in PMNs, macrophages, and DCs. We further show that upon H. pylori contact the oxidative burst of neutrophils and phagocytosis of H. pylori was strongly enhanced, but hCEACAM3/6 expression on neutrophils allowed the extended survival of H. pylori within neutrophils in a HopQ-dependent manner. Finally, we demonstrate that during a chronic mouse infection, H. pylori is able to systemically downregulate hCEACAM1 and hCEACAM6 receptor expression on neutrophils, probably to limit CagA translocation efficiency and most likely gastric pathology. IMPORTANCE Helicobacter pylori is highly adapted to humans and evades host immunity to allow its lifelong colonization. However, the H. pylori mouse model is artificial for H. pylori, and few adapted strains allow gastric colonization. Here, we show that human or CEACAM-humanized, but not mouse neutrophils are manipulated by the H. pylori HopQ-CEACAM interaction. Human CEACAMs are responsible for CagA phosphorylation, activation, and processing in neutrophils, whereas CagA translocation and tyrosine phosphorylation in DCs and macrophages is independent of the HopQ-CEACAM interaction. H. pylori affects the secretion of distinct chemokines in CEACAM-humanized neutrophils and macrophages. Most importantly, human CEACAMs on neutrophils enhance binding, oxidative burst, and phagocytosis of H. pylori and enhance bacterial survival in the phagosome. The H. pylori-CEACAM interaction modulates PMNs to reduce the H. pylori CagA translocation efficiency in vivo and to fine-tune the expression of CEACAM receptors on neutrophils to limit translocation of CagA and gastric pathology.

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Helicobacter pylori VacA Suppresses Lactobacillus acidophilus-Induced Interferon Beta Signaling in Macrophages via Alterations in the Endocytic Pathway

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00609-12 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Gudrun Weiss ◽

Sam Forster ◽

Aaron Irving ◽

Michelle Tate ◽

Richard L. Ferrero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Helicobacter Pylori ◽

Virulence Factor ◽

Lactobacillus Acidophilus ◽

Interferon Beta ◽

Eradication Therapy ◽

Endocytic Pathway ◽

Interleukin 12 ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Content Type ◽

H Pylori

ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori causes chronic gastritis and avoids elimination by the immune system of the infected host. The commensal bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus has been suggested to exert beneficial effects as a supplement during H. pylori eradication therapy. In the present study, we applied whole-genome microarray analysis to compare the immune responses induced in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) stimulated with L. acidophilus, H. pylori, or both bacteria in combination. While L. acidophilus induced a Th1-polarizing response characterized by high expression of interferon beta (IFN-β) and interleukin 12 (IL-12), H. pylori strongly induced the innate cytokines IL-1β and IL-1α. In BMDMs prestimulated with L. acidophilus, H. pylori blocked the expression of L. acidophilus-induced IFN-β and IL-12 and suppressed the expression of key regulators of the Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 GTPases. The inhibition of L. acidophilus-induced IFN-β was independent of H. pylori viability and the virulence factor CagPAI; however, a vacuolating cytotoxin (vacA) mutant was unable to block IFN-β. Confocal microscopy demonstrated that the addition of H. pylori to L. acidophilus-stimulated BMDMs redirects intracellular processing, leading to an accumulation of L. acidophilus in the endosomal and lysosomal compartments. Thus, our findings indicate that H. pylori inhibits the development of a strong Th1-polarizing response in BMDMs stimulated with L. acidophilus by blocking the production of IFN-β in a VacA-dependent manner. We suggest that this abrogation is caused by a redirection of the endocytotic pathway in the processing of L. acidophilus. IMPORTANCE Approximately half of the world’s population is infected with Helicobacter pylori. The factors that allow this pathogen to persist in the stomach and cause chronic infections have not yet been fully elucidated. In particular, how H. pylori avoids killing by macrophages, one of the main types of immune cell underlying the epithelium, remains elusive. Here we have shown that the H. pylori virulence factor VacA plays a key role by blocking the activation of innate cytokines induced by the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus in macrophages and suppresses the expression of key regulators required for the organization and dynamics of the intracellular cytoskeleton. Our results identify potential targets for the treatment of H. pylori infection and vaccination, since specific inhibition of the toxin VacA possibly allows the activation of an efficient immune response and thereby eradication of H. pylori in the host.

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