Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1996 Apr;64(4):1434–1436. doi: 10.1128/iai.64.4.1434-1436.1996

Capacity of Helicobacter pylori to generate ionic gradients at low pH is similar to that of bacteria which grow under strongly acidic conditions.

A Matin 1, E Zychlinsky 1, M Keyhan 1, G Sachs 1
PMCID: PMC173938  PMID: 8606113

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori colonized the highly acidic human gastric mucosa. At pH 3.0 to 7.0, this bacterium maintained a nearly neutral internal pH. Its membrane potential changed reciprocally with the pH gradient so that a relatively constant proton motive force was maintained. Possible, the capacity to maintain an appropriate transmembrane ionic gradient at a low pH contributes to the pathogenic propensities of this bacterium.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (159.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Cobley J. G., Cox J. C. Energy conservation in acidophilic bacteria. Microbiol Rev. 1983 Dec;47(4):579–595. doi: 10.1128/mr.47.4.579-595.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cussac V., Ferrero R. L., Labigne A. Expression of Helicobacter pylori urease genes in Escherichia coli grown under nitrogen-limiting conditions. J Bacteriol. 1992 Apr;174(8):2466–2473. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.8.2466-2473.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Eaton K. A., Krakowka S. Effect of gastric pH on urease-dependent colonization of gnotobiotic piglets by Helicobacter pylori. Infect Immun. 1994 Sep;62(9):3604–3607. doi: 10.1128/iai.62.9.3604-3607.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Engel E., Peskoff A., Kauffman G. L., Jr, Grossman M. I. Analysis of hydrogen ion concentration in the gastric gel mucus layer. Am J Physiol. 1984 Oct;247(4 Pt 1):G321–G338. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.1984.247.4.G321. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Graham D. Y. Helicobacter pylori: its epidemiology and its role in duodenal ulcer disease. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 1991 Mar-Apr;6(2):105–113. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.1991.tb01448.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kangatharalingam N., Amy P. S. Helicobacter pylori comb. nov. Exhibits Facultative Acidophilism and Obligate Microaerophilism. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994 Jun;60(6):2176–2179. doi: 10.1128/aem.60.6.2176-2179.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kim Y., Watrud L. S., Matin A. A carbon starvation survival gene of Pseudomonas putida is regulated by sigma 54. J Bacteriol. 1995 Apr;177(7):1850–1859. doi: 10.1128/jb.177.7.1850-1859.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Matin A., Wilson B., Zychlinsky E., Matin M. Proton motive force and the physiological basis of delta pH maintenance in thiobacillus acidophilus. J Bacteriol. 1982 May;150(2):582–591. doi: 10.1128/jb.150.2.582-591.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Morgan D. R., Freedman R., Depew C. E., Kraft W. G. Growth of Campylobacter pylori in liquid media. J Clin Microbiol. 1987 Nov;25(11):2123–2125. doi: 10.1128/jcm.25.11.2123-2125.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Parsonnet J., Friedman G. D., Vandersteen D. P., Chang Y., Vogelman J. H., Orentreich N., Sibley R. K. Helicobacter pylori infection and the risk of gastric carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 1991 Oct 17;325(16):1127–1131. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199110173251603. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Pettross C. W., Appleman M. D., Cohen H., Valenzuela J. E., Chandrasoma P., Laine L. A. Prevalence of Campylobacter pylori and association with antral mucosal histology in subjects with and without upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Dig Dis Sci. 1988 Jun;33(6):649–653. doi: 10.1007/BF01540425. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ramos S., Schuldiner S., Kaback H. R. The electrochemical gradient of protons and its relationship to active transport in Escherichia coli membrane vesicles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Jun;73(6):1892–1896. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.6.1892. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Schade C., Flemström G., Holm L. Hydrogen ion concentration in the mucus layer on top of acid-stimulated and -inhibited rat gastric mucosa. Gastroenterology. 1994 Jul;107(1):180–188. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(94)90075-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Zychlinsky E., Matin A. Cytoplasmic pH homeostasis in an acidophilic bacterium, Thiobacillus acidophilus. J Bacteriol. 1983 Dec;156(3):1352–1355. doi: 10.1128/jb.156.3.1352-1355.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES