Salmonella Typhimurium infection in the porcine intestine: evidence for caspase-3-dependent and -independent programmed cell death

    22 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The normal intestinal epithelium is renewed with a turnover rate of 3-5 days. During Salmonella infection increased cell loss is observed, possibly as a result of programmed cell death (PCD). We have, therefore, studied the effects of Salmonella Typhimurium infection on three elements involved in PCD: caspase-3 activation, c-Jun phosphorylation on serine 63 (both detected by immunocytochemistry), and DNA fragmentation (detected by TUNEL reaction), using a pig jejunal loop model. Additionally, we used nuclear staining for detecting signs of classical apoptosis. Activated caspase-3 was detected in scattered epithelial cells and the number of positive cells increased with increasing times of exposure to Salmonella (P<0.0001). An increase in phospho-c-Jun in epithelial cells was already detectable 5 min after infection and often occurred in cells that appeared not to be invaded by the organism. Changes in caspase-3 activation and c-Jun phosphorylation were most marked in the proximal region of the jejunum. Although rarely observed in the epithelium, proper TUNEL-positive cells were frequently found in the intestinal lumen. Some, but not all, TUNEL-positie cells were also positive for caspase-3, indicating that both caspase-3-dependent and -independent pathways of PCD increased upon infection.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalHistochemical Cell Biology
    Volume123
    Issue number1
    Pages (from-to)43-50
    Number of pages8
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2005

    Keywords

    • Former LIFE faculty
    • Caspase-3
    • c-Jun
    • Intestine
    • Pig
    • Programmed elle deatch
    • Salmonella

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Salmonella Typhimurium infection in the porcine intestine: evidence for caspase-3-dependent and -independent programmed cell death'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this