BACKGROUND Infection with Helicobacter pylori is a major risk factor for the development of atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer. H. pylori strains can differ with respect to the presence of cagA (cytotoxin-associated gene A), a gene encoding a high-molecular-weight immunodominant antigen. H. pylori strains possessing cagA have been associated with enhanced induction of acute gastric inflammat...

Amadori-modified glycated albumin stimulates extracellular matrix and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) expression in cultured mesangial cells. Smad proteins transduce the TGF-beta-mediated signal, and Smad-binding CAGA sequences are present in the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) promoter. This study examined whether glycated albumin induces PAI-1 transcription in human mesan...

BACKGROUND Omeprazole (OMP), a proton pump inhibitor, is a highly effective drug for the management of acid-related disorders. Infections resulting from cytotoxin antigen A (CagA) positive Helicobacter pylori strains have been associated with higher grades of gastric mucosal inflammation. Nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation has been reported to participate in H. pylori-induced gastritis in humans...

Cytotoxin-associated-gene A (CagA) of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a virulence factor that plays critical roles in H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation. In the present study, gastric biopsies were used for genotyping cagA and vacA genes, determining the autophagic activity, and the severity of gastric inflammation response. It was revealed that autophagy in gastric mucosal tissues infec...

Upon infection of the gastric epithelial cells, the Helicobacter pylori cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) virulence protein is injected into the epithelial cells via the type IV secretion system (TFSS), which is dependent on cholesterol. Translocated CagA is targeted by the membrane-recruited c-Src family kinases in which a tyrosine residue in the Glu-Pro-Ile-Tyr-Ala (EPIYA)-repeat region, whi...

Helicobacter pylori induces activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). However, its effect on H. pylori-induced apoptosis has not been evaluated. Thus, we examined whether H. pylori-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and p38 MAPK activation affects gastric epithelial cell apoptosis and bcl-2 family gene expression, especially in relation to the cagA sta...

Helicobacter pylori, a Gram-negative, microaerophilic bacterium found in the stomach, is assumed to be associated with carcinogenesis, invasion and metastasis in digestive diseases. Cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) is an oncogenic protein of H. pylori that is encoded by a Cag pathogenicity island related to the development of gastric cancer. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the ...

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) specific antigens were found deposited in the glomeruli in some kidney diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cytotoxin associated gene A protein (CagA), a key virulence factor of Hp, on mouse podocytes. Cells were cultured and treated with recombinant CagA protein. The expre...

The type IV secretion machinery encoded by the cag pathogenicity island (PAI) of Helicobacter pylori has been implicated in a series of host responses during infection. Here, we analyzed the function of 12 cag PAI genes from both cag I and cag II loci, including the complete virB/D complex (virB4, virB7, virB8, virB9, virB10, virB11, and virD4). We monitored interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion, CagA...

Helicobacter pylori is a spiral-shaped Gram-negative bacterium. It colonizes the gastric mucosa of humans and persists for decades if not treated. Helicobacter pylori infection affects more than half of the world's population and invariably results in chronic gastritis. The cagA gene is present in about 60 to 70% of H. pylori strains; it encodes a high-molecular-weight protein (120 to 140 kDa) ...