Elevated Extracellular cGMP Produced after Exposure to Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) Heat-Stable Toxin (ST) Induces Epithelial IL-33 Release and Alters Intestinal Immunity

The purpose of our study was to examine the effect of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) heat-stable toxin (ST) on global T84 gene expression at selected time points following intoxication, with the goal of understanding the functional effects of ST on host epithelium. RNASeq analysis relvealed that ST alters inflammatory gene expression, including the IL-1 family member IL33, which is induced downstream of cGMP. Overall design: We studied the effects of ETEC ST on T84 gene expression. We treated T84 cells with ST and collected three replicates each after 3 hr, 6 hr, and 24 hr post-intoxication. Treatment groups (in triplicate) were compared to untreated T84 cells (in triplicate).