After 2 h of infection, the transcriptional upstream regulators EGFR, EGR1, FOXL2, FOXO3, IL1A, IL1B and RELA were activated in MKN-28 cells infected with either H. pylori wt or the ΔhtrA mutant, while WWTR1 was inhibited (Fig. 7, Tables S7 and S8). The gene discussed is EGR1; the disease is infection.