The Relation Between Host TLR9 -1486T/C, rs187084 Gene Polymorphisms and Helicobacter pylori cagA, sodB, hsp60, and vacA Virulence Genes among Gastric Cancer Patients

To identify the associations between different genotypes of TLR9 -1486T/C (rs187084) with gastric cancer patients and reveal their relation to Helicobacter pylori virulence genes (cagA, sodB, hsp60 and vacA). Patients with gastric cancer were recruited to our study, diagnosed both endoscopically and histopathologically. H. pylori were isolated from gastric samples by culture and PCR amplification of the glmM gene. Virulence genes cagA, sodB, hsp60, and vacA were detected by multiplex PCR. Blood samples were used for genotyping of TLR9 -1486T/C (rs187084) by PCR-RFLP. Out of 132 patients with gastric cancer, 106 (80.3%) were positive for H. pylori. A similar number of healthy participants was recruited as controls. The prevalence of cagA, sodB, hsp60, and vacA genes among H. pylori was 90.6%, 70.8%, 83.0%, and 95.3%, respectively. The vacA gene alleles had a prevalence of 95.3% for vacAs1/s2, 52.8% for vacAm1, and 42.5% for vacAm2. The CC genotype of TLR9 -1486T/C had a significantly higher frequency in gastric cancer patients when compared to healthy participants (p = 0.045). Furthermore, the CC genotype demonstrated a significant association with H. pylori strains carrying sodB, hsp60, and vacAm1 virulence genes (p = 0.021, p = 0.049, and p = 0.048 respectively). Patients with CC genotype of TLR9 -1486T/C (rs187084) might be at higher risk for the development of gastric cancer, and its co-existence with H. pylori strains carrying sodB, hsp60, or vacAm1 virulence genes might have a synergistic effect in the development of gastric cancer. Further studies on a wider scale are recommended.