Salmonella typhimurium displays normal invasion of mice with defective epidermal growth factor receptors

The role of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor in cell invasion by Salmonella typhimurium was examined in vitro and in vivo by using waved-2 mice which express an EGF receptor with reduced kinase activity. S. typhimurium invaded fibroblasts from waved-2 mice as efficiently as fibroblasts from wild-type control animals. In vivo, S. typhimurium both invaded the gastrointestinal tract and penetrated through to the spleen of waved-2 mice. Our studies suggest that the EGF receptor has only a limited role, if any, in cell invasion by S. typhimurium.