Shedding Light on the African Enigma: In Vitro Testing of Homo sapiens-Helicobacter pylori Coevolution

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2021

Authors

Bruno Cavadas (Author) Other; Marina Leite (Author) Other; Nicole Pedro (Author) Other; Ana C. Magalhães (Author) Other; Joana Melo (Author) Other; Marcelo Correia (Author) Other; Valdemar Máximo (Author) FMUP; Rui Camacho (Author) FEUP; Nuno A. Fonseca (Author) FEUP; Figueiredo C (Author) FMUP; Luísa Pereira (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Microorganisms

Vol. 9 No. 2

Pages: 1-18

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 9 Citations

Scopus - 11 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00T-D6M

DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020240

Abstract (EN): The continuous characterization of genome-wide diversity in population and case-cohort samples, allied to the development of new algorithms, are shedding light on host ancestry impact and selection events on various infectious diseases. Especially interesting are the long-standing associations between humans and certain bacteria, such as the case of Helicobacter pylori, which could have been strong drivers of adaptation leading to coevolution. Some evidence on admixed gastric cancer cohorts have been suggested as supporting Homo-Helicobacter coevolution, but reliable experimental data that control both the bacterium and the host ancestries are lacking. Here, we conducted the first in vitro coinfection assays with dual human- and bacterium-matched and -mismatched ancestries, in African and European backgrounds, to evaluate the genome wide gene expression host response to H. pylori. Our results showed that: (1) the host response to H. pylori infection was greatly shaped by the human ancestry, with variability on innate immune system and metabolism; (2) African human ancestry showed signs of coevolution with H. pylori while European ancestry appeared to be maladapted; and (3) mismatched ancestry did not seem to be an important differentiator of gene expression at the initial stages of infection as assayed here.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 18