High-Salt Conditions Alter Transcription of Helicobacter pylori Genes Encoding Outer Membrane Proteins.

infection and high dietary salt intake are risk factors for the development of gastric adenocarcinoma. One possible mechanism by which a high-salt diet could influence gastric cancer risk is by modulating gene expression. In this study, we utilized transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) methodology to compare the transcriptional profiles of grown in media containing different concentrations of sodium chloride. We identified 118 differentially expressed genes (65 upregulated and 53 downregulated in response to high-salt conditions), including multiple members of 14 operons. Twenty-nine of the differentially expressed genes encode proteins previously shown to undergo salt-responsive changes in abundance, based on proteomic analyses. Real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analyses validated differential expression of multiple genes encoding outer membrane proteins, including adhesins (SabA and HopQ) and proteins involved in iron acquisition (FecA2 and FecA3). Transcript levels of , , and are increased under high-salt conditions, whereas transcript levels of and are decreased under high-salt conditions. Transcription of , , , and is derepressed in an mutant strain, but salt-responsive transcription of these genes is not mediated by the ArsRS two-component system, and the CrdRS and FlgRS two-component systems do not have any detectable effects on transcription of these genes. In summary, these data provide a comprehensive view of transcriptional alterations that occur in response to high-salt environmental conditions.