title: TLR-independent anti-inflammatory function of intestinal epithelial TRAF6 signalling prevents DSS-induced colitis in mice.
abstract: The gut microbiota modulates host susceptibility to intestinal inflammation, but the cell types and the signalling pathways orchestrating this bacterial regulation of intestinal homeostasis remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the function of intestinal epithelial toll-like receptor (TLR) responses in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced mouse model of colitis.
  
  
  
  We applied an in vivo genetic approach allowing intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-specific deletion of the critical TLR signalling adaptors, MyD88 and/or TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF), as well as the downstream ubiquitin ligase TRAF6 in order to reveal the IEC-intrinsic function of these TLR signalling molecules during DSS colitis.
  
  
  
  Mice lacking TRAF6 in IECs showed exacerbated DSS-induced inflammatory responses that ensued in the development of chronic colon inflammation. Antibiotic pretreatment abolished the increased DSS susceptibility of these mice, showing that epithelial TRAF6 signalling pathways prevent the gut microbiota from driving excessive colitis. However, in contrast to epithelial TRAF6 deletion, blocking epithelial TLR signalling by simultaneous deletion of MyD88 and TRIF specifically in IECs did not affect DSS-induced colitis severity. This in vivo functional comparison between TRAF6 and MyD88/TRIF deletion in IECs shows that the colitis-protecting effects of epithelial TRAF6 signalling are not triggered by TLRs.
  
  
  
  Intestinal epithelial TRAF6-dependent but MyD88/TRIF-independent and, thus, TLR-independent signalling pathways are critical for preventing propagation of DSS-induced colon inflammation by the gut microbiota. Moreover, our experiments using mice with dual MyD88/TRIF deletion in IECs unequivocally show that the gut microbiota trigger non-epithelial TLRs rather than epithelial TLRs to restrict DSS colitis severity.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vlantis
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Apostolos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polykratis
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Patrick-Simon
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Welz
authors.affiliation: Inflammation Research Center, VIB, Ghent, Belgium Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van Loo
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Manolis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasparakis
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Department of Medical Protein Research, VIB, Ghent, Belgium Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wullaert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003092:Colitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism; D016264:Dextran Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D064307:Microbiota / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D048029:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 6 / Q000235:genetics*; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D048029:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 6; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D016264:Dextran Sulfate
keywords: EXPERIMENTAL COLITIS; GUT INFLAMMATION