Submissions are open for the upcoming issue.

Molecular Medicine Peer-reviewed scientific journal

Molecular Medicine

ОБЗОР2025, No. 5

The Impact of Genetic Polymorphisms in Toll-like Receptor Genes on Interaction with Helicobacter pylori

Baratova I.V., Bodunova N.A., Deeva T.A., Bordin D.S., Chebotareva M.V., Tsapkova L.A.

Authors and affiliations

I.V. Baratova(1), N.A. Bodunova(1), T.A. Deeva(2), D.S. Bordin(1, 3, 4), M.V. Chebotareva(1, 5), L.A. Tsapkova(1)
1-A.S. Loginov Moscow Clinical Scientific Center, Moscow Department of Healthcare, Novogireevskaya St., 1, Moscow, 111123,
Russian Federation; 2-I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation
(Sechenov University), Trubetskaya str., 8-2, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation; 3-Russian University of Medicine,
Dolgorukovskaya St., 4, Moscow, 127006, Russian Federation; 4-Tver State Medical University, Sovetskaya St., 4, Tver, 170100,
Russian Federation; 5-Research Institute of Public Health Organization and Medical Management,
Bolshaya Tatarskaya St., 30, Moscow, 115184, Russian Federation

Pages
89–96
Published
2025
Section
ОБЗОР
Молекулярная медицина, 2025, № 5Issue2025, No. 5Go to the issue →
How to cite

Abstract

The aim of the study. To describe the interaction between Helicobacter pylori and Toll-like receptors, and to outline the role of TLRs gene polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of this infection.
Material and methods. An analysis of publications from 2000 to 2025 in PubMed, Scopus, and Elsevier databases was conducted.
In the present review the structure and classification of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), mechanisms of TLRs interaction with Helicobacter pylori, and the role of TLRs gene polymorphisms in infection pathogenesis were observed. Current evidence indicates that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLRs genes causing receptor dysfunction can significantly influence an individual’s susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori infection and determine the nature of inflammatory response, affecting complication risks. An important aspect of individual susceptibility to H. pylori-associated diseases are TLRs gene polymorphisms which regulate the intensity and nature of immune response. The most studied variants are: TLR4 Asp299Gly (rs4986790) and Thr399Ile (rs4986791), associated with lipopolysaccharide hyporesponsiveness and increased risk of atrophic gastritis; TLR5 (rs5744174) increasing gastric cancer risk in combination with H. pylori infection; and TLR9 (rs5743836) -1237T/C enhancing gene expression and predisposing to precancerous mucosal changes.
Conclusion. These data emphasize that infection outcomes depend not only on strain virulence but also on host genetic factors determining immune response efficacy. Genetic variations in TLRs genes may influence individual risks of severe complications, including gastric cancer. Further research in this field could facilitate the development of personalized approaches for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of H. pylori-associated diseases, as well as identify new targets for immunotherapy.

Keywords

Authors and affiliations

I.V. Baratova(1), N.A. Bodunova(1), T.A. Deeva(2), D.S. Bordin(1, 3, 4), M.V. Chebotareva(1, 5), L.A. Tsapkova(1)
1-A.S. Loginov Moscow Clinical Scientific Center, Moscow Department of Healthcare, Novogireevskaya St., 1, Moscow, 111123,
Russian Federation; 2-I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation
(Sechenov University), Trubetskaya str., 8-2, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation; 3-Russian University of Medicine,
Dolgorukovskaya St., 4, Moscow, 127006, Russian Federation; 4-Tver State Medical University, Sovetskaya St., 4, Tver, 170100,
Russian Federation; 5-Research Institute of Public Health Organization and Medical Management,
Bolshaya Tatarskaya St., 30, Moscow, 115184, Russian Federation

References

1. Li J., Liao T., Chua E. G. et al. Helicobacter pylori outer membrane vesicles: biogenesis, composition, and biological functions. Int. J. Biol. Sci. 2024; 20 (10): 4029–43. DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.94156

2. Ansari S., Yamaoka Y. Helicobacter pylori virulence factors exploiting gastric colonization and its pathogenicity. Toxins. 2019; 11 (11): 677. DOI: 10.3390/toxins11110677

3. Alvarez-Aldana A., Ikhimiukor O.O., Guaca-González Y.M. et al. Genomic insights into the antimicrobial resistance and virulence of Helicobacter pylori isolates from gastritis patients in Pereira, Colombia. BMC Genomics. 2024; 25 (1): 843. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10749-6

4. Wroblewski L.E., Peek R.M. Jr., Wilson K.T. Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer: factors that modulate disease risk. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2010; 23 (4): 713–39. DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00011-10

5. Bui D., Brown H.E., Harris R.B., Oren E. Serologic evidence for fecal-oral transmission of Helicobacter pylori. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2016; 94 (1): 82–8. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.15-0297

6. Wang F., Meng W., Wang B., Qiao L. Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric inflammation and gastric cancer. Cancer Lett. 2014; 345 (2): 196–202. DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2013.08.016

7. Chen Y.-C., Malfertheiner P., Yu H.-T., Kuo C.-L., Chang Y.-Y., Meng F.-T., Wu Y.-X. et al. Global Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Incidence of Gastric Cancer Between 1980 and 2022. Gastroenterology. 2024; 166 (4): 605–19. DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2023.12.022

8. Sedarat Z., Taylor-Robinson A.W. Helicobacter pylori Outer Membrane Proteins and Virulence Factors: Potential Targets for Novel Therapies and Vaccines. Pathogens. 2024; 13 (5): 392. DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13050392

9. Ghazanfar H., Javed N., Reina R. et al. Advances in Diagnostic Modalities for Helicobacter pylori Infection. Life (Basel). 2024; 14 (9): 1170. DOI: 10.3390/life14091170

10. Elghannam M.T., Hassanien M.H., Ameen Y.A. et al. Helicobacter pylori and oral-gut microbiome: clinical implications. Infection. 2024; 52 (2): 289–300. DOI: 10.1007/s15010-023-02115-7

11. Kusters J.G., van Vliet A.H.M., Kuipers E.J. Pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori Infection. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2006; 19 (3): 449–90. DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00054-05

12. Correa P., Piazuelo M.B. The gastric precancerous cascade. J. Dig. Dis. 2012; 13 (1): 2–9. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-2980.2011.00550.x

13. Kawai T., Akira S. The role of pattern-recognition receptors in innate immunity: update on Toll-like receptors. Nat. Immunol. 2010; 11: 373–84. DOI: 10.1038/ni.1863

14. Wang K., Huang H., Zhan Q., Ding H., Li Y. Toll-like receptors in health and disease. MedComm. 2024; 5 (5): e549. DOI: 10.1002/mco2.549

15. Sahoo B.R. Structure of fish Toll-like receptors (TLR) and NOD-like receptors (NLR). Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 2020; 161: 1602–17. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.07.293

16. Tan R.S., Ho B., Leung B.P., Ding J.L. TLR cross-talk confers specificity to innate immunity. Int. Rev. Immunol. 2014; 33 (6): 443–53. DOI: 10.3109/08830185.2014.921164

17. Castaño-Rodriguez N., Kaakoush N.O., Mitchell H.M. Pattern-recognition receptors and gastric cancer. Front. Immunol. 2014; 5: 336. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00336

18. Akira S., Uematsu S., Takeuchi O. Pathogen recognition and innate immunity. Cell. 2006; 124 (4): 783–801. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2006.02.015

19. Botos I., Segal D.M., Davies D.R. The structural biology of Toll-like receptors. Structure. 2011; 19 (4): 447–59. DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2011.02.004

20. Yang Y., Li H., Fotopoulou C., Cunnea P., Zhao X. Toll-like receptor-targeted anti-tumor therapies: Advances and challenges. Front. Immunol. 2022; 13: 1049340. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1049340

21. Mansell A., Jenkins B.J. Dangerous liaisons between interleukin-6 cytokine and toll-like receptor families: A potent combination in inflammation and cancer. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2013; 24 (3): 249–56. DOI: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2013.03.007

22. Kawai T., Ikegawa M., Ori D., Akira S. Decoding Toll-like receptors: Recent insights and perspectives in innate immunity. Immunity. 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.03.004

23. Kawai T., Akira S. TLR signaling. Semin. Immunol. 2007; 19 (1): 24–32. DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2006.12.004

24. Kawasaki T., Kawai T. Toll-like receptor signaling pathways. Front. Immunol. 2014; 5: 461. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00461

25. Wang X., Zhao G., Shao S., Yao Y. Helicobacter pylori triggers inflammation and oncogenic transformation by perturbing the immune microenvironment. Biochim. Biophys. Acta Rev. Cancer. 2024; 1879 (5): 189139. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2024.189139

26. Kawahara T., Teshima S., Oka A., Sugiyama T., Kishi K., Rokutan K. Type I Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide stimulates toll-like receptor 4 and activates mitogen oxidase 1 in gastric pit cells. Infect. Immun. 2001; 69 (7): 4382–9. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.7.4382-4389.2001

27. Mandell L., Moran A.P., Cocchiarella A., Houghton J., Taylor N., Fox J.G., Wang T.C. et al. Intact gram-negative Helicobacter pylori, Helicobacter felis, and Helicobacter hepaticus bacteria activate innate immunity via toll-like receptor 2 but not toll-like receptor 4. Infect. Immun. 2004; 72 (11): 6446–54. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.11.6446-6454.2004

28. Afzal H., Murtaza A., Cheng L.T. Structural engineering of flagellin as vaccine adjuvant: quest for the minimal domain of flagellin for TLR5 activation. Mol. Biol. Rep. 2025; 52 (1): 104. DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-10146-y

29. Pachathundikandi S.K., Tegtmeyer N., Arnold I.C., Lind J., Neddermann M., Falkeis-Veits C., Chattopadhyay S. et al. T4SS-dependent TLR5 activation by Helicobacter pylori infection. Nat. Commun. 2019; 10: 5717. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13506-6

30. Rad R., Ballhorn W., Voland P. et al. Extracellular and intracellular pattern recognition receptors cooperate in the recognition of Helicobacter pylori. Gastroenterology. 2009; 136 (7): 2247–57. DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2009.02.066

31. Dooyema S.D.R., Noto J.M., Wroblewski L.E., Piazuelo M.B., Krishna U., Suarez G., Romero-Gallo J. et al. Helicobacter pylori actively suppresses innate immune nucleic acid receptors. Gut Microbes. 2022; 14 (1): 2105102. DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2022.2105102

32. Kononov A.V., Rubtsov V.A., Parygina M.N., Shimanskaya A.G., Mozgovoi S.I., Pomorgailo E.G., Markelova M.V., Fedotova Yu.A. Gastric Precancerous Lesions: From Progenitor Cell and Microsatellite Instability to Clinical Interpretation of Gastric Cancer Risk. Russian J. of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Coloproctology. 2024; 34 (4): 50–63. https://doi.org/10.22416/1382-4376-2024-34-4-50-63

33. Achyut B.R., Ghoshal U.C., Moorchung N., Mittal B. Association of Toll-like receptor-4 (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ileu) gene polymorphisms with gastritis and precancerous lesions. Hum. Immunol. 2007; 68 (11): 901–7. DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2007.10.006

34. El-Omar E.M., Ng M.T., Hold G.L. Polymorphisms in Toll-like receptor genes and risk of cancer. Oncogene. 2008; 27 (2): 244–52. DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1210912

35. Liu J., Rädler D., Illi S., Klucker E., Turan E., von Mutius E., Kabesch M. et al. TLR2 polymorphisms influence neonatal regulatory T cells depending on maternal atopy. Allergy. 2011; 66 (8): 1020–9. DOI: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02573.x

36. Rad R., Brenner L., Bauer S., Schwendy S., Layland L., da Costa C.P., Reindl W. et al. CD25+/Foxp3+ T cells regulate gastric inflammation and Helicobacter pylori colonization in vivo. Gastroenterology. 2006; 131 (2): 525–37. DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2006.05.001

37. Hold G.L., Rabkin C.S., Chow W.-H., Smith M.G., Gammon M.D., Risch H.A., Vaughan T.L. et al. A functional polymorphism of toll-like receptor 4 gene increases risk of gastric carcinoma and its precursors. Gastroenterology. 2007; 132 (3): 905–12. DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2006.12.026

38. Garza-Gonzalez E., Bosques-Padilla F.J., Mendoza-Ibarra S.I. et al. Assessment of the toll-like receptor 4 Asp299Gly, Thr399Ile and interleukin-8 -251 polymorphisms in the risk for the development of distal gastric cancer. BMC Cancer. 2007; 7: 70. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-7-70

39. Ng M.T., Van’t Hof R., Crockett J.C., Hope M.E., Berry S., Thomson J., McLean M.H. et al. Increase in NF-kappaB binding affinity of the variant C allele of the toll-like receptor 9 -1237T/C polymorphism is associated with Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric disease. Infect. Immun. 2010; 78 (3): 1345–52. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.01226-09

40. Xu T., Fu D., Ren Y., Dai Y., Lin J., Tang L., Ji J. Genetic variations of TLR5 gene interacted with Helicobacter pylori infection among carcinogenesis of gastric cancer. Oncotarget. 2017; 8 (19): 31016–22. DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16050

41. Dhiman N., Ovsyannikova I.G., Vierkant R.A., Ryan J.E., Pankratz V.S., Jacobson R.M., Poland G.A. Associations between SNPs in toll-like receptors and related intracellular signaling molecules and immune responses to measles vaccine: preliminary results. Vaccine. 2008; 26 (14): 1731–6. DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.01.017

42. Hawn T.R., Wu H., Grossman J.M., Hahn B.H., Tsao B.P., Aderem A. A stop codon polymorphism of Toll-like receptor 5 is associated with resistance to systemic lupus erythematosus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2005; 102 (30): 10593–7. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0501165102

43. Zeng H.-M., Pan K.-F., Zhang Y., Zhang L., Ma J.-L., Zhou T., Su H.-J. et al. Genetic Variants of Toll-Like Receptor 2 and 5, Helicobacter Pylori Infection, and Risk of Gastric Cancer and Its Precursors in a Chinese Population. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2011; 20 (12): 2594–602. DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-11-0702

44. Hishida A., Matsuo K., Goto Y., Naito M., Wakai K., Tajima K., Hamajima N. No associations of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) -196 to -174del polymorphism with the risk of Helicobacter pylori seropositivity, gastric atrophy, and gastric cancer in Japanese. Gastric Cancer. 2010; 13: 251–7. DOI: 10.1007/s10120-010-0567-y

How to cite

Baratova I.V., Bodunova N.A., Deeva T.A., Bordin D.S., Chebotareva M.V., Tsapkova L.A. (2025). The Impact of Genetic Polymorphisms in Toll-like Receptor Genes on Interaction with Helicobacter pylori. Molecular Medicine, 23(5), 89–96. https://doi.org/10.29296/24999490-2025-05-10

Article search and quick navigation

Navigation