H. pylori genotypes and host gene expression profiles

H. pylori virulence factors have been suggested to be important in determining the outcome of infection. The H. pylori adhesion protein BabA2 is thought to play an crucial role in bacterial colonization and in induction of a severe gastric inflammation, particularly in combination with expression of CagA and VacA. However, the influence of these virulence factors on the pathogenesis of H. pylori infection, is still poorly understood. To address this question, the inflammatory gene expression profiles from two groups of patients infected with triple-negative strains (lacking expression of CagA, BabA2 and VacAs1, but expressing VacAs2) and triple-positive strains (expressing CagA, VacAs1 and BabA2, but lacking expression of VacAs2) were investigated. The gene expression pattern in the antrum gastric mucosa from patients infected with different H. pylori strains was very similar, and no differentially expressed genes could be identified by pair-wise comparisons. Our data thus suggest a lack of correlation between the host inflammatory responses in the gastric mucosa and expression of the BabA2, CagA and VacAs1 genes. Keywords: diseases analysis Two groups of patients who infected with double-positive strains (type I strains, expressing CagA and VacAs1 genes) and triple-negative strains (lacking the CagA, BabA2 and VacAs1, but expressing VacAs2) were investigated in this study.