Fig. 1

PSA-competent and PSA-deficient 9343 incompletely reduce inflammatory responses. a–c SPF WT mice were inoculated sequentially (9343→86) (86→9343) or simultaneously (9343+86) and killed 2 weeks later. Distal colon tissue was harvested for whole tissue qRT-PCR. The remaining colon was reserved for FFPE. Bars indicate median and interquartile range. Data represent a compilation of 3 replicate experiments with 5 to 19 mice in total per group. a The 9343→86 and ΔPSA 9343→86 mice do not differ (NS) but exhibit reduced Il17a transcription compared with 9343+86 (P = 0.0284 and P = 0.0003, respectively) and 86-only mice (see Figure) and elevated Il17a transcription compared to 9343 or ΔPSA 9343-alone mice (see Figure). In contrast, 9343+86 vs 86 mice and 9343 vs ΔPSA 9343 mice do not differ (NS for both comparisons). Il10 and Ifng expression was similar between 9343 and ΔPSA 9343 single and co-inoculated mice but was increased in ΔPSA 9343 single colonized mice compared to 9343 mice, yet remaining close to baseline (<2-fold increase). b Disease scores (additive hyperplasia and inflammation) of FFPE H&E sections. The 9343→86 and ΔPSA 9343→86 mice exhibit lower disease scores compared with 86 control mice. c Representative H&E histology depicting pronounced colon hyperplasia and inflammation in 9343+86 and 86 control mice, whereas 9343→86 and ΔPSA 9343→86 mice are comparable to Sham or 9343 single colonized mice. Multiple group comparisons were conducted using Kruskal–Wallis testing and pairwise comparisons using Mann–Whitney U testing