UB2 is a University devoted to life sciences. It includes different faculties, e.g. Medicine (3), Pharmacy, Dentistry, Public Health, Biology, Sociology, Sports Sciences and last but not least given the location, oenology. It is a public organisation for teaching and research. Research is conducted in association with national public institutes INSERM, CNRS, INRA as well as laboratories accredited by the Ministry for Research. As in other Universities the laboratories are grouped as a Federative Institute for Research (IFR). The IFR66 concerns infectious pathologies and cancer.

Our laboratory, INSERM Unit 853, is named “Helicobacter infection, inflammation and cancer”. Its aim is to determine bacterial strain characteristics which could be used to identify the persons at risk for gastric cancers, either gastric carcinoma or gastric lymphoma as far as Helicobacter pylori is concerned, and inflammatory bowel disease and hepatocellular carcinoma as far as enterohepatic Helicobacters are concerned. In the context of INCA we will look specifically at the protein complexes of H. pylori associated with the development of gastric MALT lymphomas, and at the possible synergy between HCV and Helicobacter hepaticus on the development of hepatocarcinoma in a mouse model.

Lehours, P., Dupouy, S., Bergey, B., Richy, F., Zerbib, F., Ruskoné-Fourmestraux, A., Delchier, J.C., Mégraud, F., Ménard, A. Identification of two genetic markers of Helicobacter pylori strains involved in extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of MALT-type. Gut 2004; 53: 931-937. Lehours, P., Ménard, A., Dupouy, S., Bergey, B., Richy, F., Zerbib, F., Ruskoné-Fourmestraux, A., Delchier, J.C., Mégraud, F. Evaluation of the association of nine Helicobacter pylori virulence factors with strains involved in low-grade gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. Infection and Immunity 2004; 72: 880-888. Pyndiah, S., Lasserre, J.P., Ménard, A., Claverol, S., Prouzet-Mauléon, V., Mégraud, F., Zerbib, F., Bonneu, M. Two-dimensional blue native/SDS gel electrophoresis of multiprotein complexes from Helicobacter pylori. Molecular and Cellular Proteomics 2007; 6: 193-206. Avenaud, P., LeBail, B., Marais, A., Mayo, K., Marais, A., Fawaz, R., Bioulac-Sage, P., Mégraud, F. Natural history of Helicobacter hepaticus infection in conventional A/J mice, with special reference to liver involvement. Infection and Immunity 2003; 71: 3667-3672. Avenaud, P., Castroviejo, M., Claret, S., Rosenbaum, J., Mégraud, F., Ménard, A. Expression and activity of the cytolethal distending toxin of Helicobacter hepaticus. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 2004; 318: 739-745. Rocha, M., Avenaud, P., Ménard, A., LeBail, B., Balabaud, C., Bioulac-Sage, P., de Magalhaes Queiroz, D.M., Mégraud, F. Association of Helicobacter species with hepatitis C cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinoma. Gut 2005; 54: 396-401.