Alterations in gastric mucin synthesis by Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is recognized as a cause of chronic active gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer, though the mechanisms of pathogenesis for H. pylori-associated diseases are not yet well understood1 -4] The ecological niche to which H. pylori is well-adapted is the mucous layer of the human gastric antrum, which has mucin glycoproteins as major constituents. Mucins, highmolecular weight carbohydrate-rich glycoproteins that coat the surface of the stomach and are secreted into the lumen, function to protect the stomach and could be important in H. pylori colonization. For further understanding the pathogenesis of H. pylori-related diseases, it is important to consider whether H. pylori colonization of the surface epithelium is associated, as cause or effect, with changes in the gastric mucin synthesized by surface mucous cells.