Fig. 3: Heat-labile toxin impairs the effective formation of small intestinal microvilli. | Nature Communications

Fig. 3: Heat-labile toxin impairs the effective formation of small intestinal microvilli.

From: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin drives enteropathic changes in small intestinal epithelia

Fig. 3

a Quantitative RT-PCR data from n = 9 biologically independent samples for selected microvillus genes comparing untreated (−) and LT-treated (+) ileal epithelial cells (enteroid line 235D). b Villin production is suppressed in small intestinal enteroids following treatment (t + 18 h) with LT (100 µg/ml). Shown are representative confocal images obtained showing membrane (CellMask, blue), nuclei (white), villin (gold), and merged image. The graph at right shows apical villin geometric mean fluorescence intensity data relative to the corresponding cytoplasmic signal. Each symbol (n = 12) represents a unique region of interest. For a, b ****p < 0.0001, ***p < 0.001 by Mann–Whitney two-tailed testing. c TEM images of small intestinal microvilli following treatment LT (right) compared to control untreated cells (left). The graph at right shows the length of microvilli when enteroids (n = 2 biologically independent samples) are treated before (pre) and after (post) differentiation on polarized ileal cells ****<0.0001 by ANOVA (Kruskal–Wallis, nonparametric testing).

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