Lactobacilli Reduce Helicobacter pylori Attachment to Host Gastric Epithelial Cells by Inhibiting Adhesion Gene Expression.

The human gastrointestinal tract, including the harsh environment of the stomach, harbors a large variety of bacteria, of which Lactobacillus species are prominent members. The molecular mechanisms by which species of lactobacilli interfere with pathogen colonization are not fully characterized. In this study, we aimed to study the effect of lactobacillus strains upon the initial attachment of Helicobacter pylori to host cells. Here we report a novel mechanism by which lactobacilli inhibit adherence of the gastric pathogen H. pylori In a screen with Lactobacillus isolates, we found that only a few could reduce adherence of H. pylori to gastric epithelial cells. Decreased attachment was not due to competition for space or to lactobacillus-mediated killing of the pathogen. Instead, we show that lactobacilli act on H. pylori directly by an effector molecule that is released into the medium. This effector molecule acts on H. pylori by inhibiting expression of the adhesin-encoding gene sabA Finally, we verified that inhibitory lactobacilli reduced H. pylori colonization in an in vivo model. In conclusion, certain Lactobacillus strains affect pathogen adherence by inhibiting sabA expression and thereby reducing H. pylori binding capacity.

Wnt7a overexpression delays beta-tubulin III expression in transgenic mouse embryos.

Wnt7a and HA-tagged Wnt7a have previously been shown to promote or delay neuronal differentiation respectively. In this study, we show that embryonic days 9.5 and 10.5 transgenic mouse embryos overexpressing Wnt7a specifically in nestin-positive neural stem/progenitor cells displayed a delay in neuronal differentiation, assayed by beta-tubulin III expression. Our results corroborate previous studies using HA-Wnt7a, and suggest a critical role for Wnt7a in control of neuronal progenitor maturation.