Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Degrades the Host MUC2 Mucin Barrier To Facilitate Critical Pathogen-Enterocyte Interactions in Human Small Intestine.

ABSTRACT: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolates are genetically diverse pathological variants of E. coli defined by the production of heat-labile (LT) and/or heat-stable (ST) toxins. ETEC strains are estimated to cause hundreds of millions of cases of diarrheal illness annually. However, it is not clear that all strains are equally equipped to cause disease, and asymptomatic colonization with ETEC is common in low- to middle-income regions lacking basic sanitation and clean water where ETEC are ubiquitous. Recent molecular epidemiology studies have revealed a significant association between strains that produce EatA, a secreted autotransporter protein, and the development of symptomatic infection. Here, we demonstrate that LT stimulates production of MUC2 mucin by goblet cells in human sm

SUBMITTER: Sheikh A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8853678 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature