FIG 3.

Loss of epithelial H₂O₂ rescues tlpD mutant gland defects. Colonization of Duoxa^−/− mice by WT, tlpD mutant, or cheY mutant GFP⁺ H. pylori SS1 strains at 2 weeks postinfection is shown. Mice were orally infected, and stomachs were collected and analyzed for tissue and gland colonization. (A) Numbers of CFU/g at 2 weeks postinfection for corpus and antrum regions infected with WT (n = 4), tlpD mutant (n = 5), and cheY mutant (n = 5) GFP⁺ H. pylori SS1 strains. Data for WT mice (referred to as WT BL6 in the figure) are the same as those in Fig. 1 and are displayed here for comparison. Duox refers to Duoxa^−/− mice in the figure. (B) Gland loads in the isolated corpus and antral glands, representing the average number of bacteria counted per gland, excluding uninfected glands. Numbers of infected glands were as follows: WT-infected corpus, 313 glands from six mice; WT-infected antrum, 472 glands from six mice; tlpD mutant-infected corpus, 132 from six mice; tlpD mutant-infected antrum, 149 glands from three mice; cheY mutant-infected corpus, 24 glands from three mice. (C) Gland occupancy in the isolated corpus and antral glands, representing the percentage of glands infected with the indicated H. pylori strain. Error bars represent SEM for all panels. Numbers of mice infected are the same as described for gland loads. Statistical differences are indicated by * (P < 0.05) and ** (P < 0.01) as analyzed by Student's t test.