Induction and epitope analysis of Helicobacter pylori heat shock protein.

Induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs) was analyzed in Helicobacter pylori strains. With heat shock at 42 degrees C, a synthesized 60 kDa-HSP (HSP60) was detected on autoradiography. The expression of HSP60 on the cell surface of H. pylori was examined by flow cytometric analysis. All strains used in this study expressed HSP60 on the cell surface, although the intensity differed among the strains, depending on culture conditions. The reactivity of a monoclonal antibody (mAb), 3C8, directed against bacterial HSP60, with HSP60 derived from ten strains of H. pylori and with human gastric carcinoma cell HSP60 was examined by immunoblot analysis. An epitope that reacted with the mAb was detected in the HSP60 of H. pylori and on the surface of human gastric carcinoma cells.