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Gastric antibacterial efficiency is different for pepsin A and C

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Abstract

The gastric lumen represents a bactericidal barrier, whose major components are an acidic pH and a family of isoenzymes of the gastric aspartate protease, pepsin. To evaluate whether specific pepsins are specialized in antibacterial protection, we tested their effects on the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. In a recent study we found pepsin to affect the motility of the bacteria, one of its most important virulence factors. We were able to show that the antibacterial effect of pepsin occurs in two phases: rapid loss of motility and subsequent destruction. In the present study we used the rapid pepsin-induced bacterial immobilization as a marker of antibacterial efficiency. The proteolytic activity of different pepsins was normalized to values between 2 and 200 U/ml in the hemoglobin degradation test of Anson, performed at pH 2 and 5. We found that pepsin C completely inactivates H. pylori at proteolytic activities of 2 (pH 5) and 20 (pH 2) U/ml. In contrast, the activities of pepsin A and chymosin required to affect Helicobacter motility were ten times higher.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Gabi Reimus and Jacqui Burton for excellent technical assistance. This study was supported by the grants Sche 46/14-1 and Su 133/4-1 from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Physiologie, MA 2/149, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany

    Sören Schreiber, Roland Bücker, Claudia Groll, Marina Azevedo-Vethacke & Peter Scheid

  2. Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, MA 01/215, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany

    Sören Gatermann

  3. Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Krankenhaushygiene, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany

    Christine Josenhans & Sebastian Suerbaum

  4. Institut fuer Physiologie MA 2/149, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany

    Sören Schreiber

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  1. Sören Schreiber
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  2. Roland Bücker
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  3. Claudia Groll
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  4. Marina Azevedo-Vethacke
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  5. Peter Scheid
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  6. Sören Gatermann
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  7. Christine Josenhans
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  8. Sebastian Suerbaum
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Correspondence to Sören Schreiber.

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Schreiber, S., Bücker, R., Groll, C. et al. Gastric antibacterial efficiency is different for pepsin A and C. Arch Microbiol 184, 335–340 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-005-0053-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-005-0053-9

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