1. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat labile enterotoxin affects neutrophil effector functions via cAMP/PKA/ERK signaling.
- Author
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Ma J, Hermans L, Dierick M, Van der Weken H, Cox E, and Devriendt B
- Subjects
- Humans, MAP Kinase Signaling System drug effects, Extracellular Traps metabolism, Extracellular Traps immunology, Signal Transduction, Enterotoxins metabolism, Neutrophils immunology, Neutrophils metabolism, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Cyclic AMP metabolism, Escherichia coli Proteins metabolism, Escherichia coli Proteins genetics, Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases metabolism, Bacterial Toxins metabolism, Bacterial Toxins immunology, Escherichia coli Infections immunology, Escherichia coli Infections microbiology, Phagocytosis
- Abstract
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are a major cause of diarrheal illness in humans and animals, induced by enterotoxins produced by these pathogens. Despite the crucial role of neutrophils in combatting bacterial infections, our understanding of how enterotoxins impact neutrophil function is limited. To address this knowledge gap, we used heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) and heat-stable enterotoxin a (STa) to investigate their impact on the effector functions of neutrophils. Our study reveals that pSTa does not exert any discernible effect on the function of neutrophils. In contrast, LT altered the migration and phagocytosis of neutrophils and induced the production of inflammatory factors via activation of cAMP/PKA and ERK1/2 signaling. LT also attenuated the release of neutrophil extracellular traps by neutrophils via the PKA signaling pathway. Our findings provide novel insights into the impact of LT on neutrophil function, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms that govern its immunoregulatory effects. This might help ETEC in subverting the immune system and establishing infection.
- Published
- 2024
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