Increase in NF-κB binding affinity of the variant C allele of the toll-like receptor 9 -1237T/C polymorphism is associated with Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric disease

Mike Tsz Hin Ng, Rob Van't Hof, Julie C. Crockett, Mairi E. Hope, Susan Berry, John Thomson, Mairi H. McLean, Kenneth E. L. McColl, Emad M. El-Omar, Georgina L. Hold (Lead / Corresponding author)

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    84 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Colonization of the gastric mucosa by Helicobacter pylori can lead to serious clinical outcomes, including gastric cancer. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the host response to H. pylori through the recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns. TLR9, in particular, is partly responsible for initiating bacterial induced immunity by binding unmethylated CpG-DNA, which is abundant in bacteria. A well-documented single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the TLR9 promoter (TLR9 - 1237T/C), is associated with a variety of inflammatory disorders, including allergic asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and atopy. Analysis of the TLR9 promoter gene sequence has shown that carriage of the variant "C" allele at position - 1237 creates a potential NF-κB binding site that would theoretically increase the transcriptional activity of the gene. In this study, we report that the TLR9 - 1237 C allele was significantly associated with the development of H. pylori-induced premalignant gastric changes. Functional analysis of the SNP, supporting the data generated from the genetic association study, showed that carriage of the C allele increased TLR9 transcriptional activity driven mainly by activation of NF-κB. Collectively, these findings confirm that the TLR9 - 1237T/C polymorphism is a risk factor for the development of H. pylori-induced premalignant gastric changes and provide a plausible mechanistic explanation.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1345-1352
    Number of pages8
    JournalInfection and Immunity
    Volume78
    Issue number3
    Early online date18 Feb 2010
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2010

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Parasitology
    • Microbiology
    • Immunology
    • Infectious Diseases

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