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Author Spotlight: Gastric Epithelial Cell Responses in Helicobacter pylori infection
Published on: July 5, 2024
Cutting Edge: Expression of IRF8 in Gastric Epithelial Cells Confers Protective Innate Immunity against Helicobacter
Ming Yan1, Hongsheng Wang2, Jiafang Sun3
1Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; hmorse@niaid.nih.gov wanghongs@niaid.nih.gov yanming@mail.nih.gov.
Abstract:
IFN regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is expressed in many types of blood cells and plays critical roles in cellular differentiation and function. However, the role of IRF8 in nonhematopoietic systems remains poorly understood. In this study, we provide evidence that IRF8 is a transcriptional modulator of the gastric mucosa necessary for limiting Helicobacter pylori colonization. H. pylori infection significantly upregulated expression of IRF8, which, in turn, promoted IFN-γ expression by gastric epithelial cells. Mice deficient in IRF8 exhibited increased H. pylori colonization and aborted induction of mucosal IFN-γ. Genome-wide analyses of IFN-γ-treated gastric epithelial cells by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing and RNA sequencing led to the identification of IRF8 target genes, with many belonging to the IFN-regulated gene family that was observed previously in immune cells. Our results identify the IRF8-IFN-γ circuit as a novel gastric innate immune mechanism in the host defense against infection with H. pylori.
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