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Infection and Immunity, September 2009, p. 3782-3790, Vol. 77, No. 9
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/IAI.00364-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Outer Membrane Protein Expression Profile in Helicobacter pylori Clinical Isolates
Stefan Odenbreit,1,
Kirstin Swoboda,1,
Iris Barwig,1
Stefan Ruhl,2
Thomas Borén,3
Sibylle Koletzko,4 and
Rainer Haas1*
Max von Pettenkofer Institute for Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 9a, D-80336 Munich, Germany,1 Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York,2 Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden,3 Dr. von Haunersches Kinderspital, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany4
Received 31 March 2009/ Returned for modification 5 May 2009/ Accepted 15 June 2009
The gram-negative gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori is equipped with an extraordinarily large set of outer membrane proteins (OMPs), whose role in the infection process is not well understood. The Hop (Helicobacter outer membrane porins) and Hor (Hop-related proteins) groups constitute a large paralogous family consisting of 33 members. The OMPs AlpA, AlpB, BabA, SabA, and HopZ have been identified as adhesins or adherence-associated proteins. To better understand the relevance of these and other OMPs during infection, we analyzed the expression of eight different omp genes (alpA, alpB, babA, babB, babC, sabA, hopM, and oipA) in a set of 200 patient isolates, mostly from symptomatic children or young adults. Virtually all clinical isolates produced the AlpA and AlpB proteins, supporting their essential function. All other OMPs were produced at extremely variable rates, ranging from 35% to 73%, indicating a function in close adaptation to the individual host or gastric niche. In 11% of the isolates, BabA was produced, and SabA was produced in 5% of the isolates, but the strains failed to bind their cognate substrates. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression in gastric cells was strictly dependent on the presence of the cag pathogenicity island, whereas the presence of OipA clearly enhanced IL-8 production. The presence of the translocated effector protein CagA correlated well with BabA and OipA production. In conclusion, we found unexpectedly diverse omp expression profiles in individual H. pylori strains and hypothesize that this reflects the selective pressure for adhesion, which may differ across different hosts as well as within an individual over time.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Max von Pettenkofer Institute for Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Pettenkoferstrasse 9a, D-80336 Munich, Germany. Phone: (49)-89-5160 5255. Fax: (49)-89-5160 5223. E-mail: haas{at}mvp.uni-muenchen.de
Published ahead of print on 22 June 2009.
S.O. and K.S. contributed equally to this work.
Infection and Immunity, September 2009, p. 3782-3790, Vol. 77, No. 9
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/IAI.00364-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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