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Infection and Immunity, October 2001, p. 6217-6224, Vol. 69, No. 10
Biotechnology Laboratory, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3,
Canada
Received 20 February 2001/Returned for modification 24 April
2001/Accepted 28 June 2001
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is an
extracellular bacterial pathogen that infects the human intestinal
epithelium and is a major cause of infantile diarrhea in developing
countries. EPEC belongs to the group of attaching and effacing (A/E)
pathogens. It uses a type III secretion system to deliver proteins into
the host cell that mediate signal transduction events in host cells. We
used gene array technology to study epithelial cell responses to EPEC
infection at the level of gene expression. We found that EPEC induces
the expression of several genes in infected HeLa cells by a
lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-independent mechanism, including cytokines and
early growth response factor 1 (Egr-1). The transcription factor
Egr-1 is an immediate-early-induced gene that is activated in most cell
types in response to stress. EPEC-induced upregulation of
egr-1 is mediated by the activation of the
MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase signal transduction pathway
and is dependent on the type III secretion system. egr-1 is
also induced during infection of mice by the A/E pathogen
Citrobacter rodentium, suggesting that both Egr-1 and
the activation of this mitogen-activated protein kinase signal
transduction pathway may play a role in disease.
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.10.6217-6224.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Infection
Induces Expression of the Early Growth Response Factor by Activating
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Cascades in Epithelial Cells
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Biotechnology
Laboratory, University of British Columbia, Room 237 Wesbrook Building, 6174 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3,
Canada. Phone: (604) 822-2210. Fax: (604) 822-9830. E-mail:
bfinlay{at}interchange.ubc.ca.
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