title: Colonize, evade, flourish: how glyco-conjugates promote virulence of Helicobacter pylori.
abstract: Helicobacter pylori is an adapted gastric pathogen that colonizes the human stomach, causing severe gastritis and gastric cancer. A hallmark of infection is the ability of this organism to evade detection by the human immune system. H. pylori has evolved a number of features to achieve this, many of which involve glyco-conjugates including the lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan layer, glycoproteins, and glucosylated cholesterol. These major bacterial components possess unique features from those of other gram-negative organisms, including differences in structure, assembly, and modification. These defining characteristics of H. pylori glycobiology help the pathogen establish a long-lived infection by providing camouflage, modulating the host immune response, and promoting virulence mechanisms. In this way, glyco-conjugates are essential for H. pylori pathogenicity and survival, allowing it to carve out a niche in the formidable environment of the human stomach.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology; The University of Texas at Austin; Austin, TX USA.
authors.forename: Erica J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.affiliation: Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology; The University of Texas at Austin; Austin, TX USA; Department of Molecular Biosciences; The University of Texas at Austin; Austin, TX USA.
authors.forename: M Stephen
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Trent
mesh_terms: D002784:Cholesterol / Q000737:chemistry*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000382:microbiology; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000166:cytology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000737:chemistry*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: H. pylori; LPS transport; Lewis antigens; immune evasion; lipid A; lipopolysaccharide; outer membrane; peptidoglycan