GENETIC DIVERSITY OF THE HELICOBACTER-PYLORI HEMAGGLUTININ PROTEASE (HAP) GENE

Helicobacter pylori has been associated with the etiology of gastritis , gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastric cancer in man. In this study we confirm the presence of the haemagglutinin/protease (hap) gene in ten geographically diverse strains of H. pylori, but the Southern anal ysis of genomic DNA suggested that the location of the hap gene was di fferent in each strain. We suggest that the hap gene is subject to a h igh rate of mutation and subsequent polymorphisms by virtue of a mobil e, genetic element located upstream of the hap gene in the H. pylori g enome. Simple transformation experiments suggested that this polymorph ism may be mediated by a transposon-like element.