Binding of Helicobacter pylori to Human Gastric Mucins Correlates with Binding of TFF1

Abstract

<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> binds to the gastric mucin, MUC5AC, and to trefoil factor, TFF1, which has been shown to interact with gastric mucin. We examined the interactions of TFF1 and <i>H. pylori</i> with purified gastrointestinal mucins from different animal species and from humans printed on a microarray platform to investigate whether TFF1 may play a role in locating <i>H. pylori</i> in gastric mucus. TFF1 bound almost exclusively to human gastric mucins and did not interact with human colonic mucins. There was a strong correlation between binding of TFF1 and <i>H. pylori</i> to human gastric mucins, and between binding of both TFF1 and <i>H. pylori</i> to gastric mucins with that of <i>Griffonia simplicifolia</i> lectin-II, which is specific for terminal non-reducing α- or β-linked <i>N</i>-acetyl-d-glucosamine. These results suggest that TFF1 may help to locate <i>H. pylori</i> in a discrete layer of gastric mucus and hence restrain their interactions with epithelial cells.