Heterogeneity of protein profiles of Helicobacter pylori isolated from individual patients.
BACKGROUND
In order to characterize the diversity of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in infected individuals, 10 colonies of H. pylori were isolated from the gastric juice of 25 patients with gastroduodenal diseases (total 250 isolates).


METHODS
Protein profiles of isolates were compared by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Results were confirmed by Western blotting (immunoblotting) test using rabbit antisera against three different strains of H. pylori.


RESULTS
The protein profiles of 18 of 25 cases (72%) showed a single type of H. pylori with the same polypeptide pattern. In contrast, heterogeneity in the protein profiles was seen in isolates from seven cases (28%). Two differing H. pylori types with two very different polypeptide patterns were found in 10 isolates from one case. In six patients, the protein profiles of isolates were found to have variations in their polypeptides between molecular weights of 30,000 (30K) and 14K, which are thought to be associated with bacterial membrane protein. In some isolates, a polypeptide band of the 16K was missing. Each of three different antisera confirmed differences among the distinct isolates from individual patients.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that more than one antigenically different strain of H. pylori may exist in same infected individuals.
Kitamoto
N
N
School of Humanity for Environment Policy and Technology, Himeji Institute of Technology, Hyogo, Japan.
Nakamoto
H
H
Katai
A
A
Takahara
N
N
Nakata
H
H
Tamaki
H
H
Tanaka
T
T
D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000382:microbiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008970:Molecular Weight; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011817:Rabbits
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial