Helicobacter pylori-Derived Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs): Role in Bacterial Pathogenesis?

Persistent infections with the human pathogenHelicobacter pylori(H. pylori) have been closely associated with the induction and progression of a wide range of gastric disorders, including acute and chronic gastritis, ulceration in the stomach and duodenum, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, and gastric adenocarcinoma. The pathogenesis ofH. pyloriis determined by a complicated network of manifold mechanisms of pathogen-host interactions, which involves a coordinated interplay ofH. pyloripathogenicity and virulence factors with host cells. While these molecular and cellular mechanisms have been intensively investigated to date, the knowledge about outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived fromH. pyloriand their implication in bacterial pathogenesis is not well developed. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge onH. pylori-derived OMVs.