MITA/STING and Its Alternative Splicing Isoform MRP Restrict Hepatitis B Virus Replication
Fig 7
Liver-infiltrating CD8+ T lymphocytes and splenocytes in MITA knockout mice displayed deficient cytokines producing phenotype and impaired specific CTL response.
(A) Wild type (MITA+/+) and MITA knockout (MITA-/-) mice were hydrodynamically injected with pSM2 plasmids. Twenty-eight days after injection, intrahepatic lymphocytes and splenocytes from HBsAg-positive mice were isolated and unstimulated (Mock) or stimulated with HBcAg- or HBsAg-derived peptides ex vivo. The frequencies of IFN-γ+ or TNF-α+ or IL-2+ CD8+ T cells were measured by intracellular staining and analyzed by FACS assay. (B) Quantitative analysis showed the percentages of one or two or three kinds of cytokines (IFN-γ/ TNF-α/ IL-2) simultaneously producing cells within the CD8+ T cell population from liver or (C) spleen. Five or six mice per group were analyzed. Significant differences were analyzed using a two-tailed unpaired t-test (*, P <0.05; **, P <0.01; ***, P <0.001).