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Nutrients Released by Gastric Epithelial Cells Enhance Helicobacter pylori Growth
Author(s) -
Van Amsterdam Karin,
Van Der Ende Arie
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
helicobacter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.206
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1523-5378
pISSN - 1083-4389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1083-4389.2004.00272.x
Subject(s) - helicobacter pylori , gastric mucosa , biology , cell growth , in vitro , chemically defined medium , cell culture , epithelium , chemistry , stomach , biochemistry , genetics
Background. Helicobacter pylori survives and proliferates in the human gastric mucosa. In this niche, H. pylori adheres to the gastric epithelial cells near the tight junctions. In vitro, H. pylori proliferated well in tissue‐culture medium near gastric epithelial cells. However, in the absence of epithelial cells, growth of H. pylori could only be established in tissue‐culture medium when, prior to the experiment, it was preincubated near gastric epithelial cells. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether diffusion of nutrients derived from epithelial cells was required for H. pylori growth in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's minimal essential medium (DMEM) cell culture medium. Materials and Methods. Cell culture conditions essential for H. pylori growth in vitro were determined with gastric epithelial HM02 cells. Results. Deprivation of iron in cell‐culture‐conditioned DMEM resulted in a growth arrest of H. pylori . However, near gastric epithelial cells, growth of H. pylori was resistant to iron deprivation. Evidently, when residing close to epithelial cells, H. pylori was able to fulfil its iron requirements, even when the DMEM was deprived of iron. Nevertheless, supplementation with iron alone did not restore H. pylori growth in DMEM, hence other nutrients were deficient as well in the absence of epithelial cells. Growth of H. pylori in DMEM was restored when hypoxanthine, l ‐alanine and l ‐proline were added to the DMEM. Conclusions Diffusion of (precursors of) these nutrients from the gastric epithelial cells is essential for H. pylori growth in vitro. We hypothesize that in vivo, H. pylori favors colonization near the tight junctions, to gain maximal access to the nutrient(s) released by gastric epithelial cells.