Lorena Harvey
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Timothy Cover lab
Gastric colonization by Helicobacter pylori results in gastritis and can lead to more severe diseases, including peptic ulcer disease and adenocarcinoma. In order to successfully colonize the human host, H. pylori, like many other Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, uses specific outer membrane proteins (OMPs) to adhere to host cells, obtain nutrients, or evade the immune system. I aim to identify which OMPs play a dominant role in H. pylori adherence to gastric epithelial cells and colonization of the stomach under various conditions.