The Gli1-Snail axis contributes to Salmonella Typhimurium-induced disruption of intercellular junctions of intestinal epithelial cells.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a facultative intracellular pathogen that damages gastrointestinal tissue and causes severe diarrhoea. The mechanisms by which Salmonella disrupts epithelial barrier and increases the paracellular permeability are incompletely understood. Our present study aims to determine the role of Gli1, a transcription factor activated in the sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway, in decreasing the levels of apical junction proteins in a Salmonella-infected human colonic epithelial cancer cell line, Caco-2, and in the intestinal tissue of Salmonella-infected mice. Here, we report that S. Typhimurium increased the mRNA and protein levels of Gli1 and Snail, a downstream transcription factor that plays an important role in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). S. Typhimurium also decreased the levels of E-cadherin and three tight junction proteins (ZO-1, claudin-1, and occludin). Gli1 siRNA and GANT61, a Gli1-specific inhibitor, blocked S. Typhimurium-induced Snail expression, restored the levels of E-cadherin and tight junction proteins, and prevented S. Typhimurium-increased paracellular permeability. Further study showed that Gli1 was cross-activated by the MAP and PI-3 kinase pathways. S. Typhimurium devoid of sopB, an effector of the Type 3 secretion system (T3SS) responsible for AKT activation, was unable to induce Snail expression and to decrease the expression of apical junction proteins. Our study uncovered a novel role of Gli1 in mediating the Salmonella-induced disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier.