Genome-wide accumulations of non-random adaptive point mutations drive westward evolution of Helicobacter pylori.

ABSTRACT:

Background

For last seven decades we remained convinced that the natural point mutations occur randomly in the genome of an organism. However, our whole genome sequence analyses show that for the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori, which causes peptic ulcer and gastric cancer, accumulations of point mutations in the genome are non-random and they contribute to its unidirectional evolution. Based on the oncoprotein CagA, the pathogen can be classified into Eastern (East Asian countries like China and Japan; high incidence of gastric cancer) and Western (Europe, Africa, South-West Asian countries like India; low incidence of gastric cancer) types.

Results

We have found a unique high-altitude Himalayan region, Sikkim (an Indian state bordering China, Nepal and Bhutan), where

SUBMITTER: Retnakumar RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12013172 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature