Salmonella infection is a common public health problem that can become chronic and increase the risk of
cancer. Live, mutated Salmonella is used to target
cancer cells. However, few studies have addressed chronic
Salmonella infection in vivo. AvrA is a Salmonella type-three secretion effector that is multifunctional, inhibiting intestinal
inflammation and enhancing proliferation. β-
catenin is a key player in intestinal renewal,
inflammation, and
tumorigenesis. We hypothesize that in Salmonella-infected intestine, AvrA chronically activates the β-
catenin pathway and increases cell proliferation, thus deregulating the intestinal responses to
bacterial infection. We followed mice with
Salmonella infection for 27 wk and investigated the physiological effects and role of AvrA on β-
catenin in chronically infected intestine. We found that AvrA persistently regulated β-
catenin posttranslational modifications, including phosphorylation and acetylation. Moreover, the upstream regulator Akt,
transcription factors,
T cell factors, nuclear β-
catenin, and β-
catenin target genes were enhanced in mice infected with Salmonella-expressing AvrA. AvrA has a chronic functional role in promoting intestinal renewal. In summary, we have uncovered an essential role of Salmonella AvrA in chronically activating β-
catenin and impacting intestinal renewal in small intestine and colon. Our study emphasizes the importance of AvrA in chronic
bacterial infection.