AUTHOR=Orellana-Manzano Andrea , O'Ryan Miguel G. , Lagomarcino Anne J. , George Sergio , Muñoz Mindy S. , Mamani Nora , Serrano Carolina A. , Harris Paul R. , Ramilo Octavio , Mejías Asunción , Torres Juan P. , Lucero Yalda , Quest Andrew F. G. 

TITLE=Helicobacter pylori Infection Is Associated with Decreased Expression of SLC5A8, a Cancer Suppressor Gene, in Young Children

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2016

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2016.00121

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2016.00121

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=Background: Helicobacter pylori infects half of the world's population and causes gastric cancer in a subset of infected adults. Previous blood microarray findings showed that apparently healthy children, persistently infected with H. pylori have differential gene expression compared to age-matched, non-infected children. SLC5A8, a cancer suppressor gene with decreased expression among infected children, was chosen for further study based on bioinformatics analysis. 
Methods: A pilot study was conducted using specific qRT-PCR amplification of SLC5A8 in blood samples from H. pylori infected and non-infected children, followed by a larger, blinded, case-control study. We then analyzed gastric tissue from H. pylori infected and non-infected children undergoing endoscopy for clinical purposes. 
Results: Demographics, clinical findings and family history were similar between groups. SLC5A8 expression was decreased in infected versus non-infected children in blood, 0.12 (IQR: 0 – 0.89) versus 1.86 (IQR: 0 – 8.94, P=0.002), and in gastric tissue, 0.08 (IQR: 0.04 – 0.15) versus 1.88 (IQR: 0.55 – 2.56; P=0.001). Children who were both stool positive and seropositive for H. pylori had the lowest SLC5A8 expression levels.
Conclusions: H. pylori infection is associated with suppression of SCL5A8, a cancer suppressor gene, in both blood and tissue samples from young children.