RNA-seq analysis of transcriptional responses in human PBMC-derived macrophages treated with EPICERTIN or cholera toxin B subunit.

EPICERTIN is an engineered variant of cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) containing a C-terminal ER-retention motif that promotes mucosal healing in experimental colitis. In this study, RNA sequencing was performed to characterize global transcriptional responses of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-derived macrophages following treatment with EPICERTIN, CTB, or PBS control. Macrophages were generated by culturing PBMCs with M-CSF and treated with EPICERTIN, CTB, or PBS for 12 hours prior to RNA extraction and sequencing. Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed that EPICERTIN and CTB induced overlapping transcriptional responses that differed in magnitude and directionality, with EPICERTIN eliciting a moderated inflammatory response and enhanced expression of stress-adaptive and survival-associated genes relative to CTB. These data support a role for EPICERTIN in modulating macrophage activation and survival pathways relevant to mucosal wound healing.