To examine the impact of the AQ system on the induction of innate immune responses in airway epithelial cells in response to P. aeruginosa infection, the transcriptional expression and production of pro-inflammatory mediators by Calu-3-ALI cultures after infection with PAO1 or ΔpqsA were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and immuno-assays, respectively. This evidence concerns the gene SMOX and infection.