| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Gideonsson, Pär, 1982-
(författare)
-
Helicobacter pylori : molecular insights into regulation of adhesion properties
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Helicobacter pylori infects the human stomach and triggers an inflammatory response that damages the gastric tissue. This host-pathogen interplay has dire consequences as up to 20 % of infected individuals develop peptic ulcer disease or gastric cancer. Given that half of the world’s population is infected, the number of afflicted humans is staggering and also tells that H. pylori is extremely efficient in spreading and maintaining infection. To enable persistent infection many factors play a role, but one important feature of H. pylori is its impressive ability to adhere to the slimy gastric mucus layer and the underlying epithelial cells. This occurs mainly via the BabA and SabA proteins that bind ABO/Leb- and sLex/sLea-antigens. I have in my thesis studied how these two proteins are utilized and regulated.H. pylori transcription is in part controlled by two-component systems (TCSs) that use a sensor protein and a DNA-binding response regulator. We have studied how these systems control sabA and to some extent babA and indeed found a better map of how sabA and babA is regulated at the transcriptional level. We also found that variations in a polynucleotide T-tract located in the sabA promotor could fine-tune SabA expression/ sLex-binding. Thus we have exposed how strict regulation by TCSs combined with stochastic processes together shapes attachment in the bacterial population.As the buffering mucus layer is constantly exfoliated, placing H. pylori in bactericidal acid, we hypothesized that low pH should abrogate adhesion. SabA expression was indeed repressed in low pH, however BabA expression remained unaffected. The BabA/ Leb-binding was instead directly reversibly hampered by low pH and the degree of pH sensitivity was strain dependent and encoded in the BabA sequence. We believe that the pH dependent loss of binding is one key factor H. pylori utilizes to maintain persistent infection.BabA is divided in generalists that bind ABO antigens and specialists that only bind blood group (bg) O. We co-crystalized BabA bound to these receptors and established the structural basis for generalist vs. specialist discrimination. We furthermore found a disulfide-clasped loop (CL2) in the center of the binding domain crucial for binding. Breaking CL2 with N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) disrupted binding and H. pylori infection mice experiments revealed inflammatory reduction upon NAC-treatment.In sum, I have in my thesis dissected how H. pylori controls its adhesive abilities and how intrinsic properties in binding can be exploited for therapeutic purposes.
|
|
| 3. |
- Hansen, Lori M., et al.
(författare)
-
Dynamic Expression of the BabA Adhesin and Its BabB Paralog during Helicobacter pylori Infection in Rhesus Macaques
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Infection and Immunity. - : AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY. - 0019-9567 .- 1098-5522. ; 85:6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Most Helicobacter pylori strains express the BabA adhesin, which binds to ABO/Leb blood group antigens on gastric mucin and epithelial cells and is found more commonly in strains that cause peptic ulcers or gastric cancer, rather than asymptomatic infection. We and others have previously reported that in mice, gerbils, and rhesus macaques, expression of babA is lost, either by phase variation or by gene conversion, in which the babB paralog recombines into the babA locus. The functional significance of loss of babA expression is unknown. Here we report that in rhesus monkeys, there is independent selective pressure for loss of babA and for overexpression of BabB, which confers a fitness advantage. Surprisingly, loss of babA by phase variation or gene conversion is not dependent on the capacity of BabA protein to bind Leb, which suggests that it may have other, unrecognized functions. These findings have implications for the role of outer membrane protein diversity in persistent H. pylori infection.
|
|
| 4. |
- Kable, Mary E., et al.
(författare)
-
Host Determinants of Expression of the Helicobacter pylori BabA Adhesin
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Expression of the Helicobacter pylori blood group antigen binding adhesin A (BabA) is more common in strains isolated from patients with peptic ulcer disease or gastric cancer, rather than asymptomatic colonization. Here we used mouse models to examine host determinants that affect H. pylori BabA expression. BabA expression was lost by phase variation as frequently in WT mice as in RAG2-/- mice that do not have functional B or T cells, and in MyD88-/-, TLR2-/- and TLR4-/- mice that are defective in toll like receptor signaling. The presence of other bacteria had no effect on BabA expression as shown by infection of germ free mice. Moreover, loss of BabA expression was not dependent on Le(b) expression or the capacity of BabA to bind Leb. Surprisingly, gender was the host determinant most associated with loss of BabA expression, which was maintained to a greater extent in male mice and was associated with greater bacterial load. These results suggest the possibility that loss of BabA expression is not driven by adaptive immunity or toll-like receptor signaling, and that BabA may have other, unrecognized functions in addition to serving as an adhesin that binds Le(b).
|
|
| 5. |
- Moonens, Kristof, et al.
(författare)
-
Structural Insights into Polymorphic ABO Glycan Binding by Helicobacter pylori
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Cell Host and Microbe. - : Elsevier BV. - 1931-3128 .- 1934-6069. ; 19:1, s. 55-66
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Helicobacter pylori adhesin BabA binds mucosal ABO/Le b blood group (bg) carbohydrates. BabA facilitates bacterial attachment to gastric surfaces, increasing strain virulence and forming a recognized risk factor for peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. High sequence variation causes BabA functional diversity, but the underlying structural-molecular determinants are unknown. We generated X-ray structures of representative BabA isoforms that reveal a polymorphic, three-pronged Le(b) binding site. Two diversity loops, DL1 and DL2, provide adaptive control to binding affinity, notably ABO versus O bg preference. H. pylori strains can switch bg preference with single DL1 amino acid substitutions, and can coexpress functionally divergent BabA isoforms. The anchor point for receptor binding is the embrace of an ABO fucose residue by a disulfide-clasped loop, which is inactivated by reduction. Treatment with the redox-active pharmaceutic N-acetylcysteine lowers gastric mucosal neutrophil infiltration in H. pylori-infected Le(b)-expressing mice, providing perspectives on possible H. pylori eradication therapies.
|
|
| 6. |
- Skoog, Emma C, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
BabA dependent binding of Helicobacter pylori to human gastric mucins cause aggregation that inhibits proliferation and is regulated via ArsS
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mucins in the gastric mucus layer carry a range of glycan structures, which vary between individuals, can have antimicrobial effect or act as ligands for Helicobacter pylori. Mucins from various individuals and disease states modulate H. pylori proliferation and adhesin gene expression differently. Here we investigate the relationship between adhesin mediated binding, aggregation, proliferation and adhesin gene expression using human gastric mucins and synthetic adhesin ligand conjugates. By combining measurements of optical density, bacterial metabolic activity and live/dead stains, we could distinguish bacterial aggregation from viability changes, enabling elucidation of mechanisms behind the anti-prolific effects that mucins can have. Binding of H. pylori to Leb-glycoconjugates inhibited the proliferation of the bacteria in a BabA dependent manner, similarly to the effect of mucins carrying Leb. Furthermore, deletion of arsS lead to a decrease in binding to Leb-glycoconjugates and Leb-decorated mucins, accompanied by decreased aggregation and absence of anti-prolific effect of mucins and Leb-glycoconjugates. Inhibition of proliferation caused by adhesin dependent binding to mucins, and the subsequent aggregation suggests a new role of mucins in the host defense against H. pylori. This aggregating trait of mucins may be useful to incorporate into the design of adhesin inhibitors and other disease intervention molecules.
|
|
| 7. |
- Åberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
-
A Repetitive DNA Element Regulates Expression of the Helicobacter pylori Sialic Acid Binding Adhesin by a Rheostat-like Mechanism
- 2014
-
Ingår i: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 10:7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During persistent infection, optimal expression of bacterial factors is required to match the ever-changing host environment. The gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori has a large set of simple sequence repeats (SSR), which constitute contingency loci. Through a slipped strand mispairing mechanism, the SSRs generate heterogeneous populations that facilitate adaptation. Here, we present a model that explains, in molecular terms, how an intergenically located T-tract, via slipped strand mispairing, operates with a rheostat-like function, to fine-tune activity of the promoter that drives expression of the sialic acid binding adhesin, SabA. Using T-tract variants, in an isogenic strain background, we show that the length of the T-tract generates multiphasic output from the sabA promoter. Consequently, this alters the H. pylori binding to sialyl-Lewis x receptors on gastric mucosa. Fragment length analysis of post-infection isolated clones shows that the T-tract length is a highly variable feature in H. pylori. This mirrors the host-pathogen interplay, where the bacterium generates a set of clones from which the best-fit phenotypes are selected in the host. In silico and functional in vitro analyzes revealed that the length of the T-tract affects the local DNA structure and thereby binding of the RNA polymerase, through shifting of the axial alignment between the core promoter and UP-like elements. We identified additional genes in H. pylori, with T- or A-tracts positioned similar to that of sabA, and show that variations in the tract length likewise acted as rheostats to modulate cognate promoter output. Thus, we propose that this generally applicable mechanism, mediated by promoter-proximal SSRs, provides an alternative mechanism for transcriptional regulation in bacteria, such as H. pylori, which possesses a limited repertoire of classical trans-acting regulatory factors.
|
|
| 8. |
- Åberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
-
Helicobacter pylori adapts to chronic infection and gastric disease via ph-responsive baba-mediated adherence
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Cell Host and Microbe. - : Elsevier BV. - 1931-3128 .- 1934-6069. ; 21:3, s. 376-389
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The BabA adhesin mediates high-affinity binding of Helicobacter pylori to the ABO blood group antigen-glycosylated gastric mucosa. Here we show that BabA is acid responsive-binding is reduced at low pH and restored by acid neutralization. Acid responsiveness differs among strains; often correlates with different intragastric regions and evolves during chronic infection and disease progression; and depends on pH sensor sequences in BabA and on pH reversible formation of high-affinity binding BabA multimers. We propose that BabA's extraordinary reversible acid responsiveness enables tight mucosal bacterial adherence while also allowing an effective escape from epithelial cells and mucus that are shed into the acidic bactericidal lumen and that bio-selection and changes in BabA binding properties through mutation and recombination with babA-related genes are selected by differences among individuals and by changes in gastric acidity over time. These processes generate diverse H. pylori subpopulations, in which BabA's adaptive evolution contributes to H. pylori persistence and overt gastric disease.
|
|
| 9. |
- Åberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
-
Molecular insights into the fine-tuning of pH-dependent ArsR-mediated regulation of the SabA adhesin in Helicobacter pylori
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Nucleic Acids Research. - : Oxford University Press. - 0305-1048 .- 1362-4962. ; 52:10, s. 5572-5595
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adaptation to variations in pH is crucial for the ability of Helicobacter pylori to persist in the human stomach. The acid responsive two-component system ArsRS, constitutes the global regulon that responds to acidic conditions, but molecular details of how transcription is affected by the ArsR response regulator remains poorly understood. Using a combination of DNA-binding studies, in vitro transcription assays, and H. pylori mutants, we demonstrate that phosphorylated ArsR (ArsR-P) forms an active protein complex that binds DNA with high specificity in order to affect transcription. Our data showed that DNA topology is key for DNA binding. We found that AT-rich DNA sequences direct ArsR-P to specific sites and that DNA-bending proteins are important for the effect of ArsR-P on transcription regulation. The repression of sabA transcription is mediated by ArsR-P with the support of Hup and is affected by simple sequence repeats located upstream of the sabA promoter. Here stochastic events clearly contribute to the fine-tuning of pH-dependent gene regulation. Our results reveal important molecular aspects for how ArsR-P acts to repress transcription in response to acidic conditions. Such transcriptional control likely mediates shifts in bacterial positioning in the gastric mucus layer.
|
|
| 10. |
- Åberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
-
The Helicobacter pylori sialic acid binding adhesin SabA is regulated via a network of two-component systems
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The acid-responsive signaling system ArsRS plays a key role in regulating factors important for survival in acidic conditions during infection of the human stomach by Helicobacter pylori. In addition, ArsRS was suggested to control the disease-associated attachment protein SabA, however, mechanistic data is still lacking. We show that the repressing effect of the ArsRS system on SabA expression occurs both at acidic and neutral conditions and is mediated at the transcriptional level. Purified His6-ArsR binds PsabA DNA at several sites, with varying affinity and independent of phosphorylation status and H. pylori strains showed unique cognate PsabA sequences to tweak the ArsR binding ability, resulting in strain-dependent repression of SabA expression. By site-directed mutagenesis we reveal key amino acids for the binding activity of ArsR. Finally, we show that that ArsR binds to A/T-rich DNA as dimers or larger multimers, suggesting that ArsR has affinity for DNA structures rather than to a specific promoter DNA sequence. SabA expression is further influenced by the FlgRS and CrdRS two-component systems, illustrating a complicated crosstalk among regulatory networks in H. pylori.
|
|
