CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Nov. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've discovered how a cancer-causing bacterium attacks a cell's energy infrastructure, ultimately causing the cell to self-destruct.
Helicobacter pylori are the only bacteria known to survive in the human stomach and infection with the bacterium is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer, scientists at the University of Illinois said.
"More than half the world's population is currently infected with H. pylori," microbiology Professor Steven Blanke said. "And we've known for a long time that the host doesn't respond appropriately to clear the infection from the stomach, allowing the bacterium to persist as a risk factor for cancer."
The researchers have found how the bacteria use a toxin to disrupt a cell's mitochondria, responsible for energy-generation and distribution, to disable the cell and trigger apoptosis, or programmed cell death, a university release said Tuesday.
"One of the hallmarks of long-term infection with H. pylori is an increase in apoptotic cells," Blanke said. "This may contribute to the development of cancer in several ways.
"Hundreds of human diseases and disorders are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, ranging from cancers to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's," Blanke said.
The findings could spur research into other diseases linked to impaired mitochondrial function, he said.