Figure 3.

Crohn’s mucosally associated adherent, invasive Escherichia coli host mucosa interactions: genotype-phenotype relationships. A: Adhesion to, and invasion of intestinal epithelium; B: Mucosal entry across the follicle-associated epithelium; C: Tolerance to stress, habituation and replication within mucosal macrophages. afa: Operon encoding afimbrial adhesin; CEACAM: Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule; dsbA: Gene encoding bacterial disulfide oxidoreductase; fimH: Gene encoding bacterial type-1 fimbrial adhesin; gadA-C: Glutamate-dependent acid resistance genes; GP2: Glycoprotein 2 receptor; GP96: Endoplasmic reticulum stress response glycoprotein 96; hfq: Gene encoding RNA-binding host factor essential for replication of the bacteriophage Qβ; htrA: Gene encoding high temperature stress protein A; IECs: Intestinal epithelial cells; lpfA: Gene encoding long polar fimbriae adhesin; M cells: Microfold cells; ompC: Gene encoding outer-membrane vesicle protein C; rpoS/E: Genes encoding stress tolerance sigma factors.