Upregulates PD-L1 MRNA Expression in IFN-γ Sensitized Intestinal Epithelial Cells and Induces Cell Death in Esophageal Epithelial Cells

is an oral bacterium that is associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Barrett's esophagus (BE). Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is an immune checkpoint protein that is used by tumor cells for immune evasion and has increased expression in patients with IBD and BE. We examined whether upregulates PD-L1 expression in intestinal and esophageal epithelial cells. Human intestinal epithelial HT-29 cells and esophageal epithelial FLO-1 cells with and without interferon (IFN)-γ sensitization were incubated with strains. The level of PD-L1 mRNA was quantified using quantitative real-time PCR. Cytokines were measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Apoptosis of HT-29 and FLO-1 cells were measured using caspase 3/7 assay. We found that intestinal epithelial cells with IFN-γ sensitization incubated with significantly upregulated PD-L1 expression and significantly increased the production of interleukin (IL)-8. Whereas, PD-L1 expression was significantly inhibited in IFN-γ sensitized FLO-1 cells incubated with strains. Furthermore, FLO-1 cells with and without IFN-γ sensitization incubated with strains both had significantly higher levels of cell death. has the potential to cause damage to both intestinal and esophageal epithelial cells, however, with different pathogenic effects.