Citrobacter rodentium infection disrupts colonic mucus barrier function via ablation of intercrypt goblet cells

Citrobacter rodentium infection in mice ablates Spdef-dependent intercrypt goblet cells, collapsing the inner mucus layer and increasing mucus penetrability.

• Why it matters: The distinct roles of inner versus fecal mucus layers and how goblet-cell subtypes are dynamically regulated during infection are not well defined.
• What they did: Mice were infected with Citrobacter rodentium, and spatial imaging plus transcriptomic and functional assays identified Spdef-dependent intercrypt goblet cells as required for inner mucus layer integrity.
• The result: The pathogen’s type III secretion effector EspF reprograms goblet-cell transcription, inducing metabolic stress and apoptotic signatures, which delays clearance and enhances crypt invasion by creating permissive niches.

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