Indicating that there is some type of interference between these two mutations. Comparison of the periplasmic 940310-85-0 lysozyme inhibitory activities confirms that this is indeed the case, because the level in the double mutant is higher than that in the mliC mutant. For comparison, an ivy mliC mutant of E. coli MG1655 was previously shown to have no residual periplasmic lysozyme inhibitory activity, but an explanation for this strain-dependent behaviour is currently lacking. However, we found that two E. coli genome sequences that were added to the NCBI genome database during the preparation of our manuscript contain a pliC homolog in addition to ivy and mliC, unlike all other E. coli genomes. This is not the case for the APEC O1 genome, but nevertheless, the residual periplasmic lysozyme inhibitory activity of the APEC CH2 ivy knock-out could indicate that this strain also has an additional pliC. In conclusion, this work is the first to demonstrate the involvement of a lysozyme inhibitor in bacterial virulence. Although findings from the APEC chicken model system studied in this work cannot be simply extrapolated to other pathogen �C host interactions, the wide distribution of different types of lysozyme inhibitors in MEDChem Express HIV-RT inhibitor 1 bacteria suggests that these molecules have evolved as virulence factors or effectors of commensal interactions in a wide range of bacteria. This finding may also open perspectives for new avenues for the development of antibacterial drugs, for example by designing compounds that can neutralize bacterial lysozyme inhibitors, thus rendering them more sensitive to the host lysozymes. Hepatic fibrosis is a reversible wound-healing response characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix in response to acute or chronic liver injury. Perpetuation of the fibrotic reaction can lead to end-stage liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, whose incidence is increasing worldwide. The activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells has been identified as a critical event in the development of hepatic fibrosis. Activated HSCs are highly contractile and express a-smooth muscle actin and ECM. They are a key target for anti-fibrotic therapies because these cells are the primary source of ECM in injured livers. The Notch sign
