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IceA of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been suggested as a virulence factor for the bacteria, but its pathogenic role remains unelucidated. Here, we examined the effect of iceA mutation on the secretion of IL-8 by human gastric epithelial cells. We also investigated whether the changes in IL-8 production caused by iceA mutation were associated with impaired adherence of H. pylori to the epithelial cells or with impaired apoptosis of these cells. The iceA mutant strain was constructed from wildtype H. pylori strain by insertional mutagenesis of iceA. The human gastric epithelial cells SGC7901 were infected with wildtype or mutant H. pylori for appropriate lengths of time. The adherence of the bacteria to the epithelial cells was examined by fluorescent microscopy using an anti-H. pylori antibody and flow cytometry. The apoptosis of the epithelial cells was studied by annexin-V staining and flow cytometry. The production of IL-8 by SGC 7901 cells was determined by ELISA. We found that iceA mutation was associated with significantly impaired production of IL-8 from the epithelial cells, which was not due to impaired adherence by the bacteria to the epithelial cells as wildtype and mutant H. pylori exhibited similar levels of binding to the epithelial cells. Furthermore, inactivation of iceA did not affect the apoptotic cell death of SGC7901. Our findings indicate that iceA may contribute to the pathogenicity of H. pylori by modulating the production of IL-8 by host epithelial cells. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

AIM: To determine if disruption of the cagA gene of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) has an effect on the expression of other proteins at proteome level. METHODS: Construction of a cagA knock out mutant Hp27_ΔcagA (cagA-) via homologous recombination with the wild-type strain Hp27 (cagA+) as a recipient was performed. The method of sonication-urea-CHAPS-DTT was employed to extract bacterial proteins from both strains. Soluble proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). Images of 2-DE gels were digitalized and analyzed. Only spots that had a statistical significance in differential expression were selected and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Biological information was used to search protein database and identify the biological function of proteins. RESULTS: The proteome expressions between wild-type strain and isogenic mutant with the cagA gene knocked-out were compared. Five protein spots with high abundance in bacteria proteins of wild-type strains, down-regulated or absently expressed in bacteria proteins of mutants, were identified and analyzed. From a quantitative point of view, the identified proteins are related to the cagA gene and important antioxidant proteins of H pylori, including alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (Ahp), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and modulator of drug activity (Mda66), respectively, suggesting that cagA is important to maintain the normal activity of antioxidative stress and ensure H pylori persistent colonization in the host. CONCLUSION: cagA gene is relevant to the expressions of antioxidant proteins of H pylori, which may be a novel mechanism involved in H pylori cagA pathogenesis.

The clinical manifestations of cholera are largely attributable to the actions of a secreted hexameric AB{sub 5} enterotoxin (choleragen). We have solved the three-dimensional structure of choleragen at 2.5 {Angstrom} resolution and compared the refined coordinates with those of choleragenoid (isolated B pentamer) and the heat-labile enterotoxin from Escherichia coli (LT). The crystalline coordinates provide a detailed view of the stereochemistry implicated in binding to GM1 gangliosides and in carrying out ADP-ribosylation. The A2 chain of choleragen, in contrast to that of LT, is a nearly continuous {alpha}-helix with an interpretable carboxyl tail.