Genetics of Host Protection against Helicobacter pylori Infections

Abstract

This narrative review discusses the genetics of protection against Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection. After a brief overview of the importance of studying infectious disease genes, we provide a detailed account of the properties of Hp, with a view to those relevant for our topic. Hp displays a very high level of genetic diversity, detectable even between single colonies from the same patient. The high genetic diversity of Hp can be evaded by stratifying patients according to the infecting Hp strain. This approach enhances the power and replication of the study. Scanning for single nucleotide polymorphisms is generally not successful since genes rarely work alone. We suggest selecting genes to study from among members of the same family, which are therefore inclined to cooperate. Further, extending the analysis to the metabolism would significantly enhance the power of the study. This combined approach displays the protective role of MyD88, TIRAP, and IL1RL1 against Hp infection. Finally, several studies in humans have demonstrated that the blood T cell levels are under the genetic control of the CD39+ T regulatory cells (TREGS).

Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup Related to the Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori

“…To establish the chronic infection of the host, bacteria should modulate the immune system of the host, which could enhance resistance and virulence in response to each other between hosts and pathogens [ 39 ]. H. pylori could have a system to control the host immune response and protect the host against autoimmune diseases, asthma, and esophageal adenocarcinoma, which could also be considered a potential factor of cell cellular damage in the result of our study.…”

“…Further, the accumulation of mtDNA mutations in H. pylori patients could be related to the modulated immune system by the bacterial pathogen [ 39 ], which also be considered a crucial factor for mtDNA integrity.…”

“…For 28 H. pylori -positive subjects, each H. pylori subject comes from a different environment and family, and therefore, we speculated on the possibility of different and diverse strains in each dividual [ 39 ]. A previous study reported that a high level of genetic H. pylori heterogeneity would explain the low heritability and difficulty in replicating the results of H. pylori association studies [ 39 , 46 ], which could a potential hurdle to confirm our claim in further study.…”

Plant-Based Polyphenols: Anti-Helicobacter pylori Effect and Improvement of Gut Microbiota

“…In this context, authors have indicated that H. pylori infection affects oxidative stress status of the host [ 56 , 57 , 58 ]. However, the consumption of dietary antioxidants can be effective to reduce negative aspects of H. pylori [ 59 ].…”

Epigenetics and Helicobacter pylori

“…The Red Queen dynamics force the host and pathogen to constantly adapt, evolve, and replicate in order to survive; briefly, to continuously evolve [9]. The Red Queen dynamics explains how the successful pathogens are those that more efficiently contrast host defense genes; at the same time, it reminds us that the success of the pathogen or of the host is ephemeral [10,11]. Yet, this input (that the success of the pathogen or the host is short-lived) is disregarded from genetic studies dealing with host protection against pathogens.…”