TAS2R38 gene in relation to Helicobacter pylori infection and blood groups in different age groups

Pharmacia 70(1): 197–202 DOI 10.3897/pharmacia.70.e97329 Research Article TAS2R38 gene in relation to Helicobacter pylori infection and blood groups in different age groups Karam A. Aldabbagh1, Zahraa Amer Hashim1, Zahraa Sedeeq Qasim1 1 Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq Corresponding author: Zahraa Amer Hashim () Received 8 November 2022♦Accepted 10 February 2023♦Published 8 March 2023 Citation: Aldabbagh KA, Hashim ZA, Qasim ZS (2023) TAS2R38 gene in relation to Helicobacter pylori infection and blood groups in different age groups. Pharmacia 70(1): 197–202. https://doi.org/10.3897/pharmacia.70.e97329 Abstract Of the factors predisposing to gastric cancer is Helicobacter pylori infection affecting more than 50% of the general population. Genetic variation is an established player in certain diseases susceptibility. TAS2R38 gene polymorphisms have been found to influence bitter taste ability to chemicals with malicious characteristics and consequently affect metabolism and disease development. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between TAS2R38 gene polymorphisms and H. pylori seropositivity. The study involved 105 apparently healthy individuals. They were grouped into four groups according to their age and gender; young male, young female, middle-aged male and middle-aged female. All groups were tested for H. pylori serum antibody using screening rapid test. Participants were also tested for tasting PTC for TAS2R38 gene detection by using Bartovation PTC test paper and grouped accordingly into: homozygote (highly bitter taste), heterozygote (slight to moderate bitter taste), or negative gene carrier (no taste at all). ABO and Rhesus- blood grouping was determined by standard serological analysis. Of the 105 patients, 22.85% were tested homozygotes for TAS2R38 gene, 40.95% were heterozygotes and 36.19% were nontasters, no significant difference (p > 0.9). H. pylori seropositivity was encountered in 16.19% of the whole participants, 11.5% of the male participants and 20.75% of the female participants (p > 0.9). No significant difference in seropositivity was monitored among the four age groups (p > 0.3) and the ABO/Rh blood groups (p > 0.9). A lack of significant correlation (r = 0.046) between H. pylori antibody test positivity and tasting PTC (TAS2R38 gene) was reported. Similarly, no association was found between PTC tasting and participants’ ABO blood grouping, age or gender (r = 0.086, 0.083 and 0.029, respectively). Yet, weak negative (reverse) relationship (r = -0.29, p-value = 0.002) was gained between PTC and Rh grouping. No correlation was revealed between TAS2R38 polymorphism and the studied variable; age, gender and blood group indicating the absence of an apparent role of the gene in vulnerability to H. pylori infection. Further studies involving a larger sample size is required to confirm the obtained result. Keywords Helicobacter pylori, TAS2R38 gene, bitter taste, gastric ulcer Introduction Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been reported to infect more than 50% of the global population (Danesh 1999). It has significantly been considered as a main pre- disposing factor for the development of gastric carcinoma (Hamilton and Aaltonen 2000; Tsuji et al. 2006) with 2-6 fold increase in risk (Eslick et al. 1999). Eradication of H. pylori diminishes the chance for developing gastric malignancy especially in people with Copyright Aldabbagh KA et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 198 Aldabbagh KA et al.: Relation of TAS2R38 gene with Helicobacter pylori high risk (Fukase et al. 2008). Gastric ulceration and tissue destruction owed to H. pylori infection varies from patient to patient, this might be attributed to the presence of certain genetic factors that might influence the ultimate consequence of H. pylori invasiveness (Hishida et al. 2010). Gastrointestinal chemosensing system functions to identify malicious compounds and induce process to eliminate or counteract them. By doing so, the alimentary tract promotes survival in the presence of these internal or external incentives. Hence, the molecular sensing of the GI system can act as an additional gate-keeper sideway with the taste perception in the oral cavity (Sternini et al. 2008; Carrai et al. 2011). Bitterness is a well-thought critical taste category that can influence food consumption and collections of bitter chemotoxins such as phytochemicals (Ames et al. 1990; Sandell et al. 2014). Therefore, oral and gastric perception of bitter taste, mediated via receptors of type 2 bitter-taste (T2Rs and TAS2Rs), may play as a potential warner for disease etiology. The highly polymorphic human TAS2R genes are located on chromosomes 5, 7 and 12 with the diplotype of TAS2R38 has been well described (Kim et al. 2005). TAS2R38 gene encodes a receptor that initiates the potential ability to palate the bitterness of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). Globally, two forms of this gene has been reported; the PAV (Proline, Alanine, Valine, “PTC taster”) and AVI (Alanine, Valine, Isoleucine, “PTC non-taster”) haplotypes (Kim et al. 2003). Studies have shown that the AVI haplotype differs in its molecular and phenotypic properties in comparison with the PAV haplotype characteristics. Consequently, it has been supposed that structural changes in TAS2R38 caused by the genetic variations are pivotal elements in sensitivity to bitter taste of molecules harboring harmful characteristics (Bufe et al. 2005) and therefore, might influence metabolism and predisposition to disease. Researchers have recently focused their work on the association of TAS2R38 genetic variation and GI anomalies. They have come up with the finding that the AVI haplotype or AVI homo-diplotype is linked with an increased risk of gastric and colorectal cancer (Carrai et al. 2011; Choi et al. 2017). Moreover, taste receptors have been suggested to be involved in defense against pathogenic bacteria, particularly Gram negative (Lee et al. 2012). However, the association between TAS2R38 genetic variation and H. pylori gastric infection, with the latter’s correlation with GI cancer, is still questionable. Besides, studies have demonstrated a correlation between ABOand Rhesus-blood grouping, age, and gender of peptic ulcer patients with seropositivity for infection with H. pylori (17-Kanbay et al. 2005; Jaff 2011). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the potential correlation between variants of TAS2R38 and seropositivity for H. pylori, ABO/Rhesus blood grouping, age and gender of the participants. Materials and methods Subjects and study strategy A total of 105 apparently healthy persons composed of Mosul university/Iraq (...truncated)