title: The Immune Battle against Helicobacter pylori Infection: NO Offense.
abstract: Helicobacter pylori is a successful pathogen of the human stomach. Despite a vigorous immune response by the gastric mucosa, the bacterium survives in its ecological niche, thus favoring diseases ranging from chronic gastritis to adenocarcinoma. The current literature demonstrates that high-output of nitric oxide (NO) production by the inducible enzyme NO synthase-2 (NOS2) plays major functions in host defense against bacterial infections. However, pathogens have elaborated several strategies to counteract the deleterious effects of NO; this includes inhibition of host NO synthesis and transcriptional regulation in response to reactive nitrogen species, allowing the bacteria to face the nitrosative stress. Moreover, NO is also a critical mediator of inflammation and carcinogenesis. In this context, we review the recent findings on the expression of NOS2 in H. pylori-infected gastric tissues and epithelial cells, the role of NO in H. pylori-related diseases and H. pylori gene expression, and the mechanisms whereby H. pylori regulates NO synthesis by host cells.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Center for Mucosal Inflammation and Cancer, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: Alain P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Gobert
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Center for Mucosal Inflammation and Cancer, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN 37212, USA. Electronic address: keith.wilson@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Keith T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000378:metabolism; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II
keywords: Helicobacter pylori; gastric cancer; nitric oxide; polyamines