Association between Helicobacter pylori-related peptic ulcer tissue and somatic mitochondrial DNA mutations

Crosstalk Between DNA Damage and Inflammation in the Multiple Steps of Gastric Carcinogenesis

Over the last years, intensive investigations in molecular biology and cell physiology extended tremendously the knowledge about the association of inflammation and cancer. In frame of this paradigm, the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori triggers gastritis and gastric ulcer disease, and contributes to the development of gastric cancer. Mechanisms, by which the bacteria-induced inflammation in gastric mucosa leads to intestinal metaplasia and carcinoma, are represented in this review. An altered cell-signaling response and increased production of free radicals by epithelial and immune cells account for the accumulation of DNA damage in gastric mucosa, if infection stays untreated. Host genetics and environmental factors, especially diet, can accelerate the process, which offers the opportunity of intervention based on a balanced nutrition. It is supposed that inflammation might influence stem- or progenitor cells in gastric tissue predisposing for metaplasia or tumor relapse. Herein, DNA is strongly mutated and labile, which restricts therapy options. Thus, the understanding of the mechanisms that underlie gastric carcinogenesis will be of preeminent importance for the development of strategies for screening and early detection. As most gastric cancer patients face late-stage disease with a poor overall survival, the development of multi-targeted therapeutic intervention strategies is a major challenge for the future.

Bacterial infection increases risk of carcinogenesis by targeting mitochondria

As up to a fifth of all cancers worldwide, have now been linked to microbial infections, it is essential to understand the carcinogenic nature of the bacterial/host interaction. This paper reviews the bacterial targeting of mediators of mitochondrial genomic fidelity and of mitochondrial apoptotic pathways, and compares the impact of the bacterial alteration of mitochondrial function to that of cancer. Bacterial virulence factors have been demonstrated to induce mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and to modulate DNA repair pathways of the mitochondria. Furthermore, virulence factors can induce or impair the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. The effect of bacterial targeting of mitochondria is analogous to behavior of mitochondria in a wide array of tumours, and this strongly suggests that mitochondrial targeting of bacteria is a risk factor for carcinogenesis.

Direct confirmation of quiescence of CD34+CD38- leukemia stem cell populations using single cell culture, their molecular signature and clinicopathological implications

Background

The proliferating activity of a single leukemia stem cell and the molecular mechanisms for their quiescent property remain unknown, and also their prognostic value remains a matter of debate. Therefore, this study aimed to demonstrate the quiescence property and molecular signature of leukemia stem cell and their clinicopathological implications.

Methods

Single cell sorting and culture were performed in the various sets of hematopoietic stem cells including CD34+CD38- acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell population (ASCs) from a total of 60 patients with AML, and 11 healthy controls. Their quiescence related-molecular signatures and clinicopathological parameters were evaluated in AML patients.

Results

Single cell plating efficiency of ASCs was significantly lower (8.6%) than those of normal hematopoietic stem cells i.e.: cord blood, 79.0%; peripheral blood, 45.3%; and bone marrow stem cell, 31.1%. Members of the TGFβ super-family signaling pathway were most significantly decreased; as well as members of the Wnt, Notch, pluripotency maintenance and hedgehog pathways, compared with non ASC populations. mtDNA copy number of ASCs was significantly lower than that of corresponding other cell populations. However, our data couldn’t support the prognostic value of the ASCs in AML.

Conclusions

ASCs showed remarkable lower plating efficiency and slower dividing properties at the single cell level. This quiescence is represented as a marked decrease in the mtDNA copy number and also linked with down-regulation of genes in various molecular pathways.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1233-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Mitochondrial DNA aberrations and pathophysiological implications in hematopoietic diseases, chronic inflammatory diseases, and cancers

Mitochondria are important intracellular organelles that produce energy for cellular development, differentiation, and growth. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) presents a 10- to 20-fold higher susceptibility to genetic mutations owing to the lack of introns and histone proteins. The mtDNA repair system is relatively inefficient, rendering it vulnerable to reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during ATP synthesis within the mitochondria, which can then target the mtDNA. Under conditions of chronic inflammation and excess stress, increased ROS production can overwhelm the antioxidant system, resulting in mtDNA damage. This paper reviews recent literature describing the pathophysiological implications of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and mitochondrial genome aberrations in aging hematopoietic stem cells, bone marrow failure syndromes, hematological malignancies, solid organ cancers, chronic inflammatory diseases, and other diseases caused by exposure to environmental hazards.

Causes and consequences of microsatellite instability in gastric carcinogenesis

Loss of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) function, due to somatic or germline epi/genetic alterations of MMR genes leads to the accumulation of numerous mutations across the genome, creating a molecular phenotype known as microsatellite instability (MSI). In gastric cancer (GC), MSI occurs in about 15% to 30% of the cases. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying the acquisition of MSI in GC as well as on the clinic, pathologic and molecular consequences of the MSI phenotype. Additionally, current therapeutic strategies for GC and their applicability in the MSI subset are also discussed.

Impact of bacterial infections on aging and cancer: impairment of DNA repair and mitochondrial function of host cells

The commensal floras that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract play critical roles in immune responses, energy metabolism, and even cancer prevention. Pathogenic and out of place commensal bacteria, can however have detrimental effects on the host, by introducing genomic instability and mitochondrial dysfunction, which are hallmarks of both aging and cancer. Helicobacter pylori and Enterococcus faecalis are bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract that have been demonstrated to affect these two hallmarks. These, and other bacteria, have been shown to decrease the transcription and translation of essential DNA repair subunits of major DNA repair pathways and increase production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Defects in DNA repair cause mutations and genomic instability and are found in several cancers as well as in progeroid syndromes. This review describes our contemporary view on how bacterial infections impact DNA repair and damage, and the consequence on the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. We argue that in the gastrointestinal tract, these mechanisms can contribute to tumorigenesis as well as cellular aging of the digestive system.

Helicobacter pylori infection affects mitochondrial function and DNA repair, thus, mediating genetic instability in gastric cells

Helicobacter pylori infection is an important factor for the development of atrophic gastritis and gastric carcinogenesis. However, the mechanisms explaining the effects of H. pylori infection are not fully elucidated. H. pylori infection is known to induce genetic instability in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of gastric epithelial cells. The mutagenic effect of H. pylori infection on nuclear DNA is known to be a consequence, in part, of a down-regulation of expression and activity of major DNA repair pathways. In this study, we demonstrate that H. pylori infection of gastric adenocarcinoma cells causes mtDNA mutations and a decrease of mtDNA content. Consequently, we show a decrease of respiration coupled ATP turnover and respiratory capacity and accordingly a lower level and activity of complex I of the electron transport chain. We wanted to investigate if the increased mutational load in the mitochondrial genome was caused by down-regulation of mitochondrial DNA repair pathways. We lowered the expression of APE-1 and YB-1, which are believed to be involved in mitochondrial base excision repair and mismatch repair. Our results suggest that both APE-1 and YB-1 are involved in mtDNA repair during H. pylori infection, furthermore, the results demonstrate that multiple DNA repair activities are involved in protecting mtDNA during infection.

Frequent occurrence of mitochondrial DNA mutations in Barrett's metaplasia without the presence of dysplasia

Background

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is one of the most common premalignant lesions and can progress to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA). The numerous molecular events may play a role in the neoplastic transformation of Barrett’s mucosa such as the change of DNA ploidy, p53 mutation and alteration of adhesion molecules. However, the molecular mechanism of the progression of BE to EA remains unclear and most studies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in BE have performed on BE with the presence of dysplasia.

Methods/Findings

Thus, the current study is to investigate new molecular events (Barrett’s esophageal tissue-specific-mtDNA alterations/instabilities) in mitochondrial genome and causative factors for their alterations using the corresponding adjacent normal mucosal tissue (NT) and tissue (BT) from 34 patients having Barrett’s metaplasia without the presence of dysplasia. Eighteen patients (53%) exhibited mtDNA mutations which were not found in adjacent NT. mtDNA copy number was about 3 times higher in BT than in adjacent NT. The activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme complexes in tissues from Barrett’s metaplasia without the presence of dysplasia was impaired. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in BT was significantly higher than those in corresponding samples.

Conclusion/Significance

High ROS level in BT may contribute to the development of mtDNA mutations, which may play a crucial role in disease progression and tumorigenesis in BE.

High-frequency minisatellite instability of the mitochondrial genome in colorectal cancer tissue associated with clinicopathological values

Most studies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in colorectal cancer have used case-control and case-database comparisons without searching their clinical relevance. This study was to investigate colorectal cancer tissue-specific mtDNA mutations from 54 matched colorectal cancer and adjacent normal tissues and then to evaluate their clinical values. This study focused on analyzing control region including mtDNA minisatellites and coding regions. Cancer tissue-specific mtDNA mutations were found in over half of the patients (59%). The patterns of mtDNA mutations were substitution only (13%), mtDNA minisatellite instability (mtMSI) (20%) and both mutations combined (26%). mtMSI in colorectal cancer was mainly occurred in the 303 polyC (35%) and 16184 poly C (19%) minisatellite. mtDNA copy number and hydrogen peroxide level were significantly increased in colorectal cancer tissue. The amount of mtDNA large deletions was significantly decreased in colorectal cancer tissue compared with those from matched normal mucosa (p = 0.03). The activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme complexes I, II and III in colorectal cancer tissues was impaired. mtDNA haplogroup B4 might be closely associated with colorectal cancer risk. The patient group harboring cancer tissue-specific mtDNA mutations showed larger tumor sizes (p = 0.005) and more advanced TNM stages (p = 0.002). Thus, mtDNA mutations in colorectal cancer might be implicated in risk factors that induce poor outcomes and tumorigenesis.

Mitochondrial DNA copy number and hnRNP A2/B1 protein: biomarkers for direct exposure of benzene

The present study was performed to identify biomarkers for exposure of benzene in blood cells and hematopoietic tissues. Peripheral mononuclear cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and leukemia cell lines were cultured in RPMI 1640 media with the addition of 0, 1, and 10 mM of benzene. Hydrogen peroxide was measured using an enzyme immunoassay. Mitochondrial mass, membrane potential, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number were measured using MitoTracker Green/Red probes, and real-time polymerase chain reaction. In addition, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) technology were performed to identify protein markers. The mitochondrial contents and membrane potentials were dramatically increased after three weeks of direct benzene exposure. The hydrogen peroxide level increased significantly after two weeks of treatment with benzene (4.4 ± 1.9 µM/mg protein) compared to the non-benzene treatment group (1.2 ± 1.0; p = 0.001). The mtDNA copy number gradually increased after exposure to benzene. Numerous protein markers showed significant aberrant expression after exposure to benzene. Among them, the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A2/B1 was markedly decreased after exposure to benzene. Thus, increased mitochondrial mass, mtDNA copy number, and the hnRNP A2/B1 protein were biomarkers for benzene-related toxicity and hematotoxicity.

Helicobacter pylori induces mitochondrial DNA mutation and reactive oxygen species level in AGS cells

To investigate the role of ROS in the helicobacter pylori (Hp) induced mtDNA mutations, AGS cells were treated by extracts of Hp11638 or Hp11638M. The ROS levels, cytochrome C reductions, and intracellular ATP levels were measured. The coding region and the D-Loop region were amplified and sequenced. Results showed the ROS levels, cytochrome C reduction and mtDNA mutations were markedly increased and cell viability decreased after treatment with both Hp extracts, and 616 mutations were detected in D-Loop region and 3 heteroplasmic point mutations in the Cytb gene. No mutations were found in the coding region. The mutation rates of mtDNA D-Loop region were positively correlated with the ROS levels and negatively to the ATP levels.

When bacteria become mutagenic and carcinogenic: lessons from H. pylori

More and more convincing data link bacteria to the development of cancers. How bacteria act as mutagens by altering host genomes, what are the different strategies they develop and what consequences do they have on infection-associated pathogenesis are the main questions addressed in this review, which focuses in particular on Helicobacter pylori infection. H. pylori is a major risk factor for gastric cancer development. Its oncogenic role is mediated by the chronic active inflammation it elicits in the gastric mucosa, associated with its capacity to persistently colonize the human stomach. However, direct genotoxicity of H. pylori through the action of bacterial cytotoxin or resulting from a DNA damaging effect of its metabolic derivatives as nitroso compounds cannot be excluded. Numerous studies have investigated inflammation-associated DNA damaging activity and mutagenic response due to H. pylori infection in both human and animal models. Recent findings on its mutagenic effects at the nuclear and mitochondrial genome and related DNA damage are reviewed. This genotoxic activity associated with oxidative species produced during inflammation is linked to the decreased efficiency of DNA repair systems. DNA methylation, which plays an important role in the regulation of the host response to H. pylori infection, is also documented. Furthermore, H. pylori affects genome integrity by increasing activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), a DNA/RNA editing cytidine deaminase linking mutagenesis and tumorigenesis. These different strategies occurring during bacteria-host cell interaction, lead to nucleotide modifications and genome instabilities recognized as early events in the carcinogenesis process and contribute to the oncogenic properties of H. pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori infection generates genetic instability in gastric cells

The discovery that Helicobacter pylori is associated with gastric cancer has led to numerous studies that investigate the mechanisms by which H. pylori induces carcinogenesis. Gastric cancer shows genetic instability both in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, besides impairment of important DNA repair pathways. As such, this review highlights the consequences of H. pylori infection on the integrity of DNA in the host cells. By down-regulating major DNA repair pathways, H. pylori infection has the potential to generate mutations. In addition, H. pylori infection can induce direct changes on the DNA of the host, such as oxidative damage, methylation, chromosomal instability, microsatellite instability, and mutations. Interestingly, H. pylori infection generates genetic instability in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Based on the reviewed literature we conclude that H. pylori infection promotes gastric carcinogenesis by at least three different mechanisms: (1) a combination of increased endogenous DNA damage and decreased repair activities, (2) induction of mutations in the mitochondrial DNA, and (3) generation of a transient mutator phenotype that induces mutations in the nuclear genome.

Alteration of mitochondrial DNA sequence and copy number in nasal polyp tissue

This study was designed to investigate the possibility that mtDNA mutations might arise in inflammatory or chronically damaged nasal polyp tissue from 23 patients. Thirteen patients (57%) displayed nasal polyp tissue-specific mtDNA mutations in the hypervariable segment of the control region and cytochrome b gene, which were not found in the corresponding blood cells and/or adjacent normal tissue. Nasal polyp tissue-specific length heteroplasmic mutations were also detected in nucleotide position (np) 303-315 homopolymeric poly C track (39%), np 514-523 CA repeats (17%) and np 16184-16193 poly C track (30%). The average mtDNA copy number was about three times higher in nasal polyp tissue than in the corresponding peripheral blood cells and adjacent non-polyp tissues. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was significantly higher in the nasal polyp tissues compared to those from the corresponding samples. High level of ROS in nasal polyp tissue may contribute to development of mtDNA mutations, which may play a crucial role in the vicious cycle of pathophysiology of nasal polyps.