Potential malignant transformation in the gastric mucosa of immunodeficient mice with persistent Mycoplasma penetrans infection

PLoS One. 2017 Jul 10;12(7):e0180514. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180514. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Mycoplasma infection has been reported in immunocompromised cancer patients; nevertheless, it is not clear if persistent Mycoplasma infection could facilitate the proliferation of cancer cells in immunocompromised organisms. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between persistent Mycoplasma infection and malignant transformation in an immunodeficient host model. Immunodeficient mouse model was established using cyclophosphamide and mice gastric mucosal cells were infected with Mycoplasma penetrans (Mpe). After 18 weeks, mice were sacrificed and gastric mucosal Mpe infected cells were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Moreover, pathological and ultrastructural changes in mice gastric mucosa were evaluated and the expression of multiple proto-oncogenes was examined by Western blot. Our data show that Mpe infection was detected in the blood of immunodeficient mice and Mpe persistent infection in mice gastric mucosa was confirmed by FISH. There were pathological and ultrastructural malignant transformation occurred in the gastric mucosa of infected mice compared to control mice. Mpe infected mice showed lower expression of p53 and p21 and higher H-ras expression compared to the control group. Moreover, expression of NF-κB p65 subunit increased in Mpe infected mice, similar to the TNF-α expression. Bax expression in gastric mucosa of Mpe infected mice was lower while Bcl-2 expression was higher than in the uninfected control group. Collectively these data demonstrate that persistent Mpe infection is associated with aberrant expression of multiple proto-oncogenes in gastric mucosa of immunodeficient mice which potentially facilitate the malignant transformation.

Publication types

  • Retracted Publication

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / pathology*
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gastric Mucosa / microbiology*
  • Gastric Mucosa / pathology*
  • Gastric Mucosa / ultrastructure
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, SCID
  • Mycoplasma Infections / diagnosis
  • Mycoplasma Infections / microbiology*
  • Mycoplasma Infections / pathology*
  • Mycoplasma penetrans / physiology*
  • Mycoplasma penetrans / ultrastructure
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / metabolism
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / metabolism
  • ras Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21
  • NF-kappa B
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein
  • ras Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Wenzhou public welfare science and technology plan project (grant number Y20080182 and Y20160190). Approval unit: Wenzhou Bureau of Science and Technology in Zhejiang province, China. Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (CN) (grant number 2015CFB291). Approval unit: Department of Science and Technology in Hubei province, China.