PITX1 and inflammatory bowel disease: Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) that produces the metalloprotease Bacteroides fragilis toxin (BFT) promotes inflammation and disrupts the intestinal barrier function by targeting the tight junctions of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), which is associated with acute diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease (74), thereby inducing chronic inflammation and tissue damage in CRC (27, 28, 75–77).