Gel image data were converted into characteristics data sets. Cluster analysis of Neighbor-joining tree (N-J) was carried out using the categorical similarity coefficient

and the Ward method. A minimum spanning tree was inferred using characteristic data from cluster analysis. The polymorphism of each locus was represented by Nei’s diversity index [27], calculated as DI = 1-∑(allelic frequency)2. Reproducibility and stability of 12 VNTR loci via in-vitro passage Twenty clinical mTOR inhibitor strain genomes from China and Japan were amplified and multiple DNA samples from each strain yielded PCR products with identical sizes at all loci. Chongqing26 and Tibet36 each yielded no product at one locus, possibly because of MM-102 chemical structure mutations or poor quality DNA samples. The stabilities of the VNTR loci were investigated in a long-term experiment in which the 20 test H. pylori isolates used were sub-cultured into fresh Skirrow medium 30 times by serial passages at two or three day intervals. The DNA from the strains cultivated in each passage was extracted and subjected to MLVA analysis. The results of

the VNTR analysis demonstrated no difference in tandem repeat numbers (data not shown). Acknowledgements We thank Prof Chihiro Sasakawa of Institute of Medical Science University for Epacadostat providing 15 H. pylori strains of Tokyo. This work was supported by the fund of Chinese National Natural Science Foundation project Meloxicam (No. 31070445); Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2009CB522606). References 1. Ouakaa-Kchaou A, Elloumi H, Gargouri D, Kharrat J, Ghorbel A: Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer. Tunis Med 2010,88(7):459–461.PubMed 2. Shin CM, Kim N, Yang HJ, Cho SI, Lee HS, Kim JS, Jung HC, Song IS: Stomach cancer risk in gastric cancer relatives: interaction between Helicobacter pylori infection and family history of gastric cancer for the risk of stomach cancer. J Clin Gastroenterol 2010,44(2):e34–39.PubMedCrossRef 3. Abdullah M, Ohtsuka H, Rani AA, Sato T, Syam AF, Fujino MA: Helicobacter pylori infection and gastropathy:

A comparison between Indonesian and Japanese patients. World J Gastroentero 2009,15(39):4928–4931.CrossRef 4. Ernst PB, Peura DA, Crowe SE: The translation of Helicobacter pylori basic research to patient care. Gastroenterology 2006,130(1):188–206. quiz 212–183PubMedCrossRef 5. Ben-Darif E, De Pinna E, Threlfall EJ, Bolton FJ, Upton M, Fox AJ: Comparison of a semi-automated rep-PCR system and multilocus sequence typing for differentiation of Salmonella enterica isolates. J Microbiol Methods 2010,81(1):11–16.PubMedCrossRef 6. Do T, Gilbert SC, Clark D, Ali F, Fatturi Parolo CC, Maltz M, Russell RR, Holbrook P, Wade WG, Beighton D: Generation of diversity in Streptococcus mutans genes demonstrated by MLST. PLoS One 2010,5(2):e9073.PubMedCrossRef 7.