Enterotoxigenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> (ETEC) Infection Triggers Pyroptosis Through ER Stress Response-Mediated Mitochondrial Impairment and STING Activation in Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

ABSTRACT: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a major cause of diarrhea in pigs. Virulence factors, such as colonization factors and enterotoxins, bind to specific receptors on intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), impairing the integrity of the IEC barrier by inducing cell death. Pyroptosis is a newly discovered form of programmed cell death (PCD), which is widely involved in the pathogenesis of multiple infectious gastrointestinal diseases. However, it is still unclear whether pyroptosis contributes to the ETEC-mediated damage of IECs. This study demonstrated that ETEC infection activated NLRP3 inflammasome and triggered gasdermin D (GSDMD)-executed pyroptosis of mouse IECs in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, ETEC infection triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response to inc

SUBMITTER: Yang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12729993 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature