The Wnt/beta-Catenin Signaling Pathway Controls the Inflammatory Response in Infections Caused by Pathogenic Bacteria

Innate immunity against pathogenic bacteria is critical to protect host cells from invasion and infection as well as to develop an appropriate adaptive immune response. During bacterial infection, different signaling transduction pathways control the expression of a wide range of genes that orchestrate a number of molecular and cellular events to eliminate the invading microorganisms and regulate inflammation. The inflammatory response must be tightly regulated because uncontrolled inflammation may lead to tissue injury. Among the many signaling pathways activated, the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin has been recently shown to play an important role in the expression of several inflammatory molecules during bacterial infections. Our main goal in this review is to discuss the mechanism used by several pathogenic bacteria to modulate the inflammatory response through the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. We think that a deep insight into the role of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in the inflammation may open new venues for biotechnological approaches designed to control bacterial infectious diseases.