Helicobacter pylori regulates stomach diseases by activating cell pathways and DNA methylation of host cells

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 May 4:11:1187638. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1187638. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

One of the most prevalent malignant tumors of the digestive tract is gastric cancer (GC). Age, high salt intake, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, and a diet deficient in fruits and vegetables are risk factors for the illness. A significant risk factor for gastric cancer is infection with H. pylori. Infecting gastric epithelial cells with virulence agents secreted by H. pylori can cause methylation of tumor genes or carcinogenic signaling pathways to be activated. Regulate downstream genes' aberrant expression, albeit the precise mechanism by which this happens is unclear. Oncogene, oncosuppressor, and other gene modifications, as well as a number of different gene change types, are all directly associated to the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer. In this review, we describe comprehensive H. pylori and its virulence factors, as well as the activation of the NF-κB, MAPK, JAK/STAT signaling pathways, and DNA methylation following infection with host cells via virulence factors, resulting in abnormal gene expression. As a result, host-related proteins are regulated, and gastric cancer progression is influenced. This review provides insight into the H. pylori infection, summarizes a series of relevant papers, discusses the complex signaling pathways underlying molecular mechanisms, and proposes new approach to immunotherapy of this important disease.

Keywords: DNA methylation; Helicobacter pylori; apoptosis; gastric cancer; signaling pathway.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81772157).