Fig. 6: Proposed model for L-lactate promotion of H. pylori gastric colonization. | Nature Communications

Fig. 6: Proposed model for L-lactate promotion of H. pylori gastric colonization.

From: Helicobacter pylori initiates successful gastric colonization by utilizing L-lactate to promote complement resistance

Fig. 6

Model showing how complement may operate in the stomach to inhibit H. pylori colonization. The left panel shows WT H. pylori, which is able to colonize the gastric mucosal surface and glands in the face of complement (red circles). The inset details how L-lactate (blue circles) uptake into H. pylori blocks the step of C4b surface deposition, rendering H. pylori complement resistant. This mechanism of complement resistance is distinct from that used by other bacteria, acting to further block downstream C3 convertase formation and other activities. The right gray panel shows what happen when H. pylori is unable to take up L-lactate. In this case, the H. pylori is significantly less capable of destabilizing surface bound C4b, rendering the strain susceptible to complement and less able to colonize the gastric glands and surface.

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