[Molecular stress response in the stomach].

Stress response is mediated by a number of stress-related gene products and is crucial for maintenance of homeostasis during and after various cellular stresses. Exposure of rats to restraint and water-immersion stress rapidly and transiently activated heart shock factor 1 (HSF1) and caused rapid HSP70 mRNA expression and HSP70 accumulation in gastric mucosa. Using protein-malnourished, bilateral adrenalectomized, and subdiaphragmatically vagotomized rats, we showed that this heat shock response was regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical or the sympathoadrenal systems. Experiments with inhibitors for adrenoceptor subtypes and glucocorticoids suggested that the alpha 1A-adrenergic receptor appeared to mediate the HSP70 induction. The extent of HSP70 induction inversely correlated to the severity of mucosal damage, suggesting an important role of the heat shock response in gastric mucosal defense under conditions of stress. Recently, we found that gastric surface mucous cells possessed a phagocyte NADPH oxidase-like system and secreted abundant superoxide anion (O2.-). Helicobactor pylori lipopolysaccharide markedly up-regulated this secretion. The enhanced O2.- production activated nuclear factor kappa B by autocrine/paracrine mechanisms, resulting in activation of proinflammatory cytokine gene expressions. These results suggest that surface mucous cells may actively regulate stress responses of Helicobacter pylori-infected gastric mucosa through a phagocyte NADPH oxidase-like activity.