Prior studies of macrophage-driven activation of epithelial cells focussed solely on specific pathways [9,11], involving matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) or DEFB4. Our data provide the first global perspective on the epithelial response to Mtb infection, and reveal important new targets in the epithelial response to Mtb-infection while simultaneously confirming the previously published findings. This evidence concerns the gene DEFB4A and infection.