The Helicobacter pylori UreI protein is not involved in urease activity but is essential for bacterial survival in vivo.

ABSTRACT: We produced defined isogenic Helicobacter pylori ureI mutants to investigate the function of UreI, the product of one of the genes of the urease cluster. The insertion of a cat cassette had a strong polar effect on the expression of the downstream urease genes, resulting in very weak urease activity. Urease activity, measured in vitro, was normal in a strain in which ureI was almost completely deleted and replaced with a nonpolar cassette. In contrast to previous reports, we thus found that the product of ureI was not necessary for the synthesis of active urease. Experiments with the mouse-adapted H. pylori SS1 strain carrying the nonpolar ureI deletion showed that UreI is essential for H. pylori survival in vivo and/or colonization of the mouse stomach. The replacement of ureI with the no

SUBMITTER: Skouloubris S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC108549 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature