Helicobacter

Helicobacter is a genus of Gram-negative Epsilon Proteobacteria with characteristic helix shaped cells and are often found in the lining of the upper gastrointestinal tract of mammals and some birds. Helicobacter pylori infects up to 50% of the human population and is strongly associated with peptic ulcers, chronic gastritis, duodenitis, and stomach cancer.

Data Downloads

[Genome Research Limited]

Helicobacter mustelae is a pathogen of ferrets, where it causes general pathology and ulceration in a similar manner to H. pylori in humans. It provides a genetically tractable animal model for ulceration and gastric cancer. The Sanger Institute has been funded by the Wellcome Trust to sequence the genome of Helicobacter mustelae strain ATCC 43772 in collaboration with Dr. Paul O'Toole of the Department of Microbiology, University College Cork, Ireland. Comparative genome analysis of H. pylori, the extragastric H. hepaticus, and H. mustelae, will provide new insights into genes involved in gastric and extragastric virulence in this genus. This analysis has recently been published by O’Toole et al. (PMID: 20219135).

The Sanger Institute has initiated a Wellcome Trust project to sequence the genomes of representative of each of the major Helicobacter species in collaboration with Brendan Wren of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Published Genome Data

Published genomes

We have completed the genome of Helicobacter mustelae. It consists of a circular chromosome of 1,578,097 bp with a G+C content of 42.46%.

The fully annotated genome is available from the EMBL/GenBank databases with accession number FN555004.

Shotgun and assembly data from these projects are available from our FTP site.

We have also completed the genome of Helicobacter felis ATCC 49179. It consists of a circular chromosome of 1,672,681 bp with a G+C content of 44.52%.

The fully annotated genome is available from the EMBL/GenBank databases with accession number FQ670179.

  • Comparative whole genome sequence analysis of the carcinogenic bacterial model pathogen Helicobacter felis.

    Arnold IC, Zigova Z, Holden M, Lawley TD, Rad R, Dougan G, Falkow S, Bentley SD and Müller A

    Genome biology and evolution 2011;3;302-8

    PUBMED: 21402865; DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evr022

  • Comparative genomics and proteomics of Helicobacter mustelae, an ulcerogenic and carcinogenic gastric pathogen.

    O'Toole PW, Snelling WJ, Canchaya C, Forde BM, Hardie KR, Josenhans C, Graham RLj, McMullan G, Parkhill J, Belda E and Bentley SD

    BMC genomics 2010;11;164

    PUBMED: 20219135; PMC: 2846917; DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-11-164

Related links

Data Use Statement

This sequencing centre plans on publishing the completed and annotated sequences in a peer-reviewed journal as soon as possible. Permission of the principal investigator should be obtained before publishing analyses of the sequence/open reading frames/genes on a chromosome or genome scale. See our data sharing policy.

Sequencing enquiries

Please address all sequencing enquiries to: pathinfo@sanger.ac.uk

* quick link - http://q.sanger.ac.uk/rhqonabn