Image: Mattias Pettersson
Research group Our group studies mechanisms for stochastic and tightly controlled regulation of Helicobacter pylori adhesins.
Nearly half of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with bacterium Helicobacter pylori and the infection is lifelong unless treated. H. pylori infections cause chronic inflammation (gastritis) of the stomach lining, and in some individuals, the infection progress into peptic ulcer disease or gastric cancer. Gastric cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and H. pylori is the primary risk factor for its development. Disease progression depends on a combination of bacterial factors, host factors, and life-style associated factors. Despite decades of research, the precise combination that leads to disease remains unclear.
Adhesion to the gastric mucosa is critical for colonization and maintenance of infection. The best-studied H. pylori adhesins are BabA and SabA. BabA mediates binding to ABO-blood group antigens present in the healthy gastric mucosa, while SabA binds to sialyl-Lewis a/x antigens, which are up-regulated in inflamed gastric mucosa.
Our research focuses on understanding how H. pylori adapts to environmental conditions in the stomach, particularly how the expression of adhesins is fine-tuned to match the local gastric environment. SabA serves as our primary model system, and we aim define the molecular mechanisms that regulate sabA expression
Our research integrates H. pylori genetics with biochemical and biophysical methodologies to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate SabA expression in relation to environmental cues and disease progression.
We are also investigating bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs), which are released from the H. pylori surface. BEVs can play multiple roles, such as acting as delivery vehicles for bacterial molecules to eukaryotic host cells, but may function as decoys aiding bacterial survival, immune evasion and intercellular communication.
Read full publication list in PubMed
Anna Arnqvist lab
ImageMattias Pettersson
Ten projects at Umeå University receive a total of 30 million SEK from the Swedish Cancer Society.
Results made by Anna Arnqvist´s group include molecular details and the importance of the pH in the stomach.
