Participation of cell-surface hydrophobins for hemin binding in Helicobacter pylori.

Treatment of Helicobacter pylori cells with several chaotropic agents resulted in different degrees of inhibition in the binding of the bacteria to hemin and Congo-red dye. Polyanions also yielded a >50% inhibitory effect. Furthermore, hydrophobic interaction chromatography was used to determine the relative surface hydrophobicity of cell-associated proteins extracted with 3 mol/L urea, revealing proteins with a significant hydrophobic profile.