Helicobacter pylori Hemagglutinins

Abstract

Studies in the past decade on a number of mucosal surface microbial pathogens have shown that they usually colonize mucosal surfaces by binding to glycoconjugate receptors in the mucin layer of epithelial cells (Wadström et al. 1985). Different bacterial surface proteins (adhesins) or hair-like surface appendages (fimbriae or pili) as well as nonfimbrial adhesins have been reported to be involved in such colonization processes. Pioneering studies by Duguid and Old (1980) showed that many fimbriae of enteric pathogens hemagglutinate erythrocytes of various animal species and can be classified as bacterial surface hemagglutinins or bacterial surface lectins (Wadström and Trust 1984). Despite the great interest in how Helicobacter pylori specifically colonizes human gastric epithelium, very few studies have dealt with how this pathogen penetrates the gastric mucus layer, and penetrates into this epithelium to get access to submucosal tissues. Emödy et al. (1988), Evans et al. (1988) and recently also Nakazawa et al. (1989) have reported on the hemagglutination properties of H. pylori. We have also recently characterized a sialic-acid-specific hemagglutinin of H. pylori (Carlsson et al. 1989), and our data on hemagglutination profiles suggest the presence of two more hemagglutinins in H. pylori.

This study was supported by a grant from the Swedish Medical Research Council (16 x-04723) to T. W. and a visiting scientist fellowship to T. W. and T.J. Trust.