Hcp2a of type VI secretion system contributes to IL8 and IL1β expression of chicken tracheal epithelium by affecting APEC colonization.

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is an important pathogen that causes avian colibacillosis in poultry. APEC infection can lead to pathological changes in chicken trachea. The type VI secretion system (T6SS) of APEC contribute to the pathogenicity of APEC. However, whether T6SS plays a role in infection of the trachea remains unclear. We constructed mutant strain Δhcp2a by the Red recombination method system. The role of hcp2a (the structural secretion components and secretory protein of the T6SS) in the infection of trachea was investigated. The mutation strain displayed a significant increase in biofilm formation and a decrease in resistance to chicken serum. Moreover, RNA sequencing analyses showed that infection of chicken tracheal epithelium by the mutant strain Δhcp2a induced differential expression of genes. The result also showed that 14 genes (13 genes were downregulated) were enriched in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction signalling pathway at 12 and 24 h post infection. The mutation Δhcp2a resulted in significant decreases in the bacterial loads in trachea at 6 and 12 h post infection. Real-time PCR analyses showed that the hcp2a mutation downregulated the expression of IL8 and IL1β at mRNA level in chicken tracheal epithelium. Our results indicate that mutation of hcp2a influenced genes expression of the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway by decreasing APEC colonization in the trachea.