The project intends to analyze protein-carbohydrate interaction for the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori as a model system for bacterial adaptation to persistent infection and chronic inflammation.
We will purify the native BabA adhesin from H. pylori for structural investigation by both NMR (in solution and solid phase) and by crystallization/diffraction analyzes. We will also design adhesin deletion-mutants to be analyzed by experimental infection in Rhesus monkeys to follow inflammation responses (with chip-arrays och RT-PCR analyzes), and adaptation in adherence. Detailed analyzes of native and chimeric adhesin proteins opens up for development of novel anti-microbial strategies and vaccines against H. pylori and severe stomach disease. An efficient vaccine would undoubtedly reduce the risk for gastric cancer and would also protect our younger generations from H. pylori.
