Fig. 2: IL-22-Stat3 axis upregulates Paneth cells for AIEC host defence.

a Quantitative real-time PCR and ELISA analyses of ileum lamina propria cells for IL-22 in uninfected or AIEC-infected mice. b Immunofluorescence analysis of ileum crypts for Ki67⁺ proliferating cells in the indicated mice. Crypt base columnar (CBC, outlined with a solid line) stem cell and the above transit-amplifying (TA, outlined with a dashed line) compartments are indicated. c Flow cytometry analysis of CD24^-/low ileum crypts for Ki67⁺ proliferating cells in AIEC-infected mice at day-6. d Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of ileum crypts for anti-microbial peptides in uninfected or AIEC-infected Il-22^−/− mice. e Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of IL-22-stimulated ileum organoids, derived from the indicated mice, for anti-microbial peptides. f Flow cytometry analysis of IL-22-stimulated ileum organoids, derived from the indicated mice, for CD24⁺ Lysozyme⁺ Paneth cells. g Flow cytometry analysis of ileum crypts, derived from the indicated mice, for CD24⁺ Lysozyme⁺ Paneth cells. h Immunofluorescence analysis of ileum crypts (outlined with a dashed line) for Lysozyme⁺ Paneth cells at the crypt base in the indicated mice. i Colony-forming unit (CFU) of AIEC was analyzed in feces and intestinal tissues isolated from the indicated mice at day-6 (d6) post infection. Each symbol in bar graphs represents an ileum crypt sample (c, d, g), tissue sample (a, i), or organoid culture (e, f), derived from one mouse. Data shown are representative (b, h) or combined (a, c, d, e, f, g, i) results from two independent reproducible experiments. Figures 2f and 4c were performd in the same experiment. Statistical significance is indicated using unpaired two-tailed t test (c, d, g, i), One-way ANOVA with Sidak’s multiple comparisons test (a), or Two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test (e, f). Data are presented as mean ± SD. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.