BAFF Promotes Th17 Cells and Aggravates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Figure 5
Differential severity of EAE in B6.Baff−/− and B6.BTg mice and its association with a Th17 profile.
Panel A: The indicated mice were immunized with MOG35–55 in CFA and evaluated for clinical EAE. Results (mean ± SEM) are the aggregate of 3 independent experiments (each containing ≥3 mice per cohort). *, p<0.05; **, p<0.01; ***, p<0.001 in comparison to WT mice at the indicated time points. Panel B: T cells from the draining LN of the indicated mice were stimulated with PMA + ionomycin in the presence of brefeldin A as in Figure 2 and stained for surface CD4 or CD8 and intracellular IL-17 or IFNγ. The values in the upper left quadrants in each tracing indicate the percentages of IL-17+ cells (within the CD4+ population) in that sample, and the values in the lower right quadrants indicate the percentages of IFNγ+ cells (within the CD4+ population). Results from a representative mouse from each cohort are shown. Panel C: Results are presented for CD4+IL-17+ cells for the 3 mice in each cohort. Panel D: Draining LN cells from the MOG35–55 peptide-immunized mice either were (+) or were not (−) cultured with MOG35–55 peptide for 3 days. Percentages of CD4+IL-17+ cells were determined. Results are presented for the 6 mice in each cohort (left) or a representative mouse from each cohort (right). ***, p<0.001. Panel E: Supernatants from the cultures in panel D were assayed for IL-17A. Results are presented as mean ± SEM. Panel F: The indicated mice were sacrificed on day 25 post-immunization, and sections of their brains and spinal cords were stained with H&E and immunostained for IL-17. Results are representative of the 6 mice in each cohort. Original magnification is 400×.