Both the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as indomethacin, and infection with Helicobacter pylori are major causes of gastric ulcers. Although some clinical studies suggest that infection with H. pylori increases the risk of developing NSAID-induced gastric lesions, the molecular mechanism governing this effect is unknown. We recently found that in cultured gastric cells, expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperones (such as 150-kDa oxygenregulated protein (ORP150) and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78)) is induced by NSAIDs and confers protection against NSAID-induced apoptosis, which is important in the development of NSAID-induced gastric lesions. In this study we have found that co-culture of gastric cells with H. pylori suppresses the expression of ER chaperones. This suppression was regulated at the level of transcription and accompanied by a reduction in the level of activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), one of the transcription factors for ER chaperone genes. In vivo, inoculation of mice with H. pylori suppressed the expression of ER chaperones at gastric mucosa both with and without administration of indomethacin. Inoculation with H. pylori also stimulated formation of indomethacin-induced gastric lesions and mucosal cell death. In addition, we found that heterozygous ORP150-deficient mice are sensitive to the development of indomethacin-induced gastric lesions and mucosal cell death. The results of this study suggest that H. pylori exacerbates NSAID-induced gastric lesions through suppression of expression of ER chaperones, which stimulates NSAID-induced mucosal cell death.The balance between aggressive and defensive factors determines whether gastric ulcers develop. The gastric mucosa is challenged by a variety of aggressive factors, and of these, both non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) 2 and Helicobacter pylori are major causes of gastric lesions. Therefore, an important question is whether infection with H. pylori increases the risk of developing NSAID-induced gastric lesions (in other words, if eradication of H. pylori would reduce the risk of developing NSAID-induced gastric lesions). Recent clinical studies suggest that infection with H. pylori increases the risk of developing NSAID-induced gastric lesions (1-4); however, some studies have shown the opposite effect (5, 6). Animal models could be useful to address this issue. For example, some reports have demonstrated that NSAID-induced gastric lesions in mongolian gerbils are exacerbated by infection with H. pylori (7-9), although the molecular mechanism governing this exacerbation is unclear.An inhibitory effect of NSAIDs on cyclooxygenase (COX) activity and the resulting decrease in the gastric level of prostaglandins (PGs), especially PGE 2 , was believed to be the only explanation for the gastric side effects of NSAIDs because PGE 2 is a strong protective factor for gastric mucosa (10). However, the increased incidence of gastrointestinal lesions and the decrease in PG levels induced by NSA...