Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
Future Microbiol. 2013 Jun;8(6):725-38. doi: 10.2217/fmb.13.43.
Helicobacter pylori is arguably one of the most successful pathogens; it colonizes the stomachs of more than half of the human population. Colonization and persistence in such an inhospitable niche requires the presence of exquisite adaptive mechanisms. One of the proteins that contributes significantly to the remarkable adaptability of H. pylori is the ferric uptake regulator (Fur), which functions as a master regulator of gene expression. In addition to genes directly related to iron homeostasis, Fur controls expression of several enzymes that play a central role in metabolism and energy production. The absence of Fur leads to severe H. pylori colonization defects and, accordingly, several Fur-regulated genes have been shown to be essential for colonization. Moreover, proteins encoded by Fur-regulated genes have a strong impact on redox homeostasis in the stomach and are major determinants of inflammation. In this review, we discuss the main roles of Fur in the biology of H. pylori and highlight the importance of this regulatory protein in the infectious process.
幽门螺杆菌可以说是最成功的病原体之一；它定植在超过一半的人类胃中。在这样一个恶劣的小生境中定植和持续存在需要存在精细的适应机制。对幽门螺杆菌的显著适应性有重大贡献的蛋白质之一是铁摄取调节因子（Fur），它作为基因表达的主要调节剂。除了与铁稳态直接相关的基因外，Fur 还控制着在代谢和能量产生中起核心作用的几种酶的表达。Fur 的缺失导致严重的幽门螺杆菌定植缺陷，因此，已经证明几个 Fur 调节的基因对于定植是必需的。此外，由 Fur 调节的基因编码的蛋白质对胃中的氧化还原稳态有强烈影响，是炎症的主要决定因素。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了 Fur 在幽门螺杆菌生物学中的主要作用，并强调了这种调节蛋白在感染过程中的重要性。
