Following S. aureus challenge, IER3 expression was further increased in si-YTHDF2 cells, demonstrating that the absence of YTHDF2 amplifies S. aureus-induced upregulation of IER3. This upregulation was also observed in the transcriptomic data of milk samples from cows with subclinical mastitis and in blood transcriptomic data from cows infected with S. aureus, supporting the upregulation of IER3 during infection (Figures 6B, C). This evidence concerns the gene YTHDF2 and infection.