Helicobacter pylori infection causes chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa that results
from an ineffective immune response. We have demonstrated that one underlying
mechanism is induction of macrophage apoptosis mediated by polyamines. The
transcription factor c-Myc has been linked to induction of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the
rate-limiting enzyme in polyamine synthesis. We determined whether H. pylori stimulates
transcriptional activation of ODC in macrophages, whether this occurs via c-Myc, and …