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Volume 13
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10.3390/microorganisms13020313
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Article

IL-6–Caspase 3 Axis Plays an Important Role in Enteritis Caused by Legionella pneumophila Pulmonary Infection

by
Dahui Zhao
1,2,†,
Xuefeng Duan
1,2,†,
Li Zhu
1,
Min Fang
3,
Tian Qin
4,* and
Yuhai Bi
1,2,*
1
CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-Warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
2
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
3
School of Life Sciences & Henan Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
4
State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Microorganisms 2025, 13(2), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020313
Submission received: 9 January 2025 / Revised: 27 January 2025 / Accepted: 27 January 2025 / Published: 1 February 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Medical Microbiology)
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Abstract

Background: Since Legionella pneumophila (Lp) is widely present in natural and artificial water environments, it has a high potential risk of outbreak. Diarrhea caused by Lp pulmonary infection is an important symptom of Legionnaires’ disease (LD); however, the underlying mechanism of the diarrhea has not yet been revealed. This not only has a negative impact on clinical diagnosis and treatment, but may also cause misdiagnosis. Methods: In the present study, a mouse model of enteritis caused by pulmonary infection of Lp was established. By using this mouse model, we explored the underlying mechanisms of the enteritis caused by Lp pulmonary infection. Results: The results indicated that the systemic inflammatory response played a very important role in the enteritis phenotype caused by a strong-virulence strain of Lp. Furthermore, we found that the expression of Bcl-2 was downregulated by IL-6 through the p53 signaling pathway, thereby activating the caspase 3 of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), causing the apoptosis of IECs, and ultimately leading to the enteritis phenotype. Conclusions: The IL-6–caspase 3 axis plays an important role in enteritis caused by Lp pulmonary infection.
Keywords: Legionella pneumophila; enteritis; inflammatory cytokines; caspase 3; IL-6 Legionella pneumophila; enteritis; inflammatory cytokines; caspase 3; IL-6

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhao, D.; Duan, X.; Zhu, L.; Fang, M.; Qin, T.; Bi, Y. IL-6–Caspase 3 Axis Plays an Important Role in Enteritis Caused by Legionella pneumophila Pulmonary Infection. Microorganisms 2025, 13, 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020313

AMA Style

Zhao D, Duan X, Zhu L, Fang M, Qin T, Bi Y. IL-6–Caspase 3 Axis Plays an Important Role in Enteritis Caused by Legionella pneumophila Pulmonary Infection. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(2):313. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020313

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhao, Dahui, Xuefeng Duan, Li Zhu, Min Fang, Tian Qin, and Yuhai Bi. 2025. "IL-6–Caspase 3 Axis Plays an Important Role in Enteritis Caused by Legionella pneumophila Pulmonary Infection" Microorganisms 13, no. 2: 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020313

APA Style

Zhao, D., Duan, X., Zhu, L., Fang, M., Qin, T., & Bi, Y. (2025). IL-6–Caspase 3 Axis Plays an Important Role in Enteritis Caused by Legionella pneumophila Pulmonary Infection. Microorganisms, 13(2), 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020313

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