Role of Energy Sensor TlpD of Helicobacter pylori in Gerbil Colonization and Genome Analyses after Adaptation in the Gerbil

Abstract

ABSTRACTHelicobacter pylorimaintains colonization in its human host using a limited set of taxis sensors. TlpD is a proposed energy taxis sensor ofH. pyloriand dominant under environmental conditions of low bacterial energy yield. We studied the impact ofH. pyloriTlpD on colonizationin vivousing a gerbil infection model which closely mimics the gastric physiology of humans. A gerbil-adaptedH. pyloristrain, HP87 P7, showed energy-dependent behavior, while its isogenictlpDmutant lost it. A TlpD-complemented strain regained the wild-type phenotype. Infection of gerbils with the complemented strain demonstrated that TlpD is important for persistent infection in the antrum and corpus and suggested a role of TlpD in horizontal navigation and persistent corpus colonization. As a part of the full characterization of the model and to gain insight into the genetic basis ofH. pyloriadaptation to the gerbil, we determined the complete genome sequences of the gerbil-adapted strain HP87 P7, two HP87 P7tlpDmutants before and after gerbil passage, and the original human isolate, HP87. The integrity of the genome, including that of a functionalcagpathogenicity island, was maintained after gerbil adaptation. Genetic and phenotypic differences between the strains were observed. Major differences between the gerbil-adapted strain and the human isolate emerged, including evidence of recent recombination. Passage of thetlpDmutant through the gerbil selected for gain-of-function variation in a fucosyltransferase gene,futC(HP0093). In conclusion, a gerbil-adaptedH. pyloristrain with a stable genome has helped to establish that TlpD has important functions for persistent colonization in the stomach.