Fig. 3.

Plantain NSP blocks translocation of enteric gut pathogens across M-cells in vitro. (A) Translocation across M-cells of S. Typhimurium is inhibited in the presence of plantain NSP. (B) TEER measurements before (0 h) and after (4 h) infection with S. Typhimurium reveal no significant loss of monolayer integrity during infection (N= 3), this was also true for M-cell infection with Sh. sonnei (data not shown). Translocation is expressed relative to M-cells in the absence of plantain NSP. (N= 3, with minimum n= 3–5 replicates). (C) Translocation of Sh. sonnei across M-cells in vitro was also blocked by plantain NSP. For all, *P<.05; **P<.01; ***P<.001; ANOVA. (D) TEM of a transverse section of M-cells infected with Sh. sonnei reveals internalised bacteria (dashed arrow). Solid arrows indicate the aperture of a pore within the Transwell membrane. Bar=1 μm.