title: Role of antigastric autoantibodies in chronic Helicobacter pylori infection.
abstract: In recent studies a significant association between H. pylori infection and antigastric autoimmunity has been reported. Antigastric autoantibodies can be found in more than 30% of infected patients. Two distinct binding patterns of these autoantibodies have been described, first at the luminal membrane of the foveolar epithelium, and second at the canaliculi membranes of the parietal cells in the body mucosa. The latter type of autoantibodies correlates with histologic and clinical parameters of gastric mucosa atrophy. The gastric H,K-ATPase, which is known to be the autoimmune target in classical autoimmune gastritis, also represents a major autoantigen in atrophic H. pylori gastritis. Molecular mimicry between H. pylori and the host does not seem to be responsible for the generation of this type of autoreactivity. The development of antigastric autoantibodies may be a relevant host factor which contributes to the final clinical outcome of chronic H. pylori gastritis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. Gerhard.Faller@patho.med.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Faller
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirchner
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D017506:H(+)-K(+)-Exchanging ATPase / Q000276:immunology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D017506:H(+)-K(+)-Exchanging ATPase