Transgenic Expression of the <em>Helicobacter pylori</em> Virulence Factor CagA Promotes Apoptosis or Tumorigenesis through JNK Activation in <em>Drosophila</em>

Gastric cancer development is strongly correlated with infection by Helicobacter pylori possessing the effector protein CagA. Using a transgenic Drosophila melanogaster model, we show that CagA expression in the simple model epithelium of the larval wing imaginal disc causes dramatic tissue perturbations and apoptosis when CagA-expressing and non-expressing cells are juxtaposed. This cell death phenotype occurs through activation of JNK signaling and is enhanced by loss of the neoplastic tumor suppressors in CagA-expressing cells or loss of the TNF homolog Eiger in wild type neighboring cells. We further explored the effects of CagA-mediated JNK pathway activation on an epithelium in the context of oncogenic Ras activation, using a Drosophila model of metastasis. In this model, CagA expression in epithelial cells enhances the growth and invasion of tumors in a JNK-dependent manner. These data suggest a potential role for CagA-mediated JNK pathway activation in promoting gastric cancer progression.