Helicobacter pylori with the Intact dupA Cluster is more Virulent than the Strains with the Incomplete dupA Cluster

• Published in: Current microbiology 2015-07, Vol.71 (1), p.16-23
• Main Authors: Wang, Ming-yi, Shao, Chen, Li, Jie, Yang, Ya-Chao, Wang, Shao-bo, Hao, Jun-ling, Wu, Chun-mei, Gao, Xiao-zhong, Shao, Shi-he
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antigens, Bacterial - analysis; Antigens, Bacterial - genetics; Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins - analysis; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biopsy; Biotechnology; Blotting, Western; Cell Line; China; Coculture Techniques; Cytokines - secretion; Epithelial Cells - immunology; Epithelial Cells - microbiology; Gastric Mucosa - pathology; Gastritis - microbiology; Gastrointestinal diseases; Helicobacter Infections - microbiology; Helicobacter pylori; Helicobacter pylori - genetics; Helicobacter pylori - isolation & purification; Helicobacter pylori - pathogenicity; Histocytochemistry; Humans; Infiltration; Inflammatory diseases; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Multigene Family; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Strain rate; Ulcers; Virulence; Virulence Factors - analysis; Virulence Factors - deficiency; Virulence Factors - genetics; Virulence Factors - metabolism
• ISSN: 0343-8651; 1432-0991
• DOI: 10.1007/s00284-015-0812-z

The duodenal ulcer promoting gene (dupA), located in the plasticity region of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), is predicted to form a type IV secretory system (T4SS) with vir genes around dupA. In the study, we investigated the association between the dupA cluster status and the virulence of H. pylori in a littoral region of Northeast China. Two hundred and sixty-two H. pylori strains isolated from the chronic gastritis were examined to evaluate the dupA cluster status, cag PAI genes and vacA genotype using PCR and Western blot. Histopathologic evaluations of biopsy specimens were performed to analysis the association between the dupA cluster and the inflammatory response. IL-8 productions in gastric mucosa and from GES-1 cells co-cultured with H. pylori were measured, respectively, to analysis the association between the dupA cluster status and IL-8 production. We found that gastric mucosal inflammatory cell infiltration was significantly higher in patients with dupA-positive H. pylori, including H. pylori with complete dupA cluster (2.71 ± 0.79) and incomplete dupA cluster (2.09 ± 0.61) than in patients with dupA-negative strain (1.73 ± 0.60, p