Fig. 2.

DCs treated with simvastatin polarize naïve CD4⁺ T cells toward the Th2 phenotype in vitro. (A) DCs were treated with simvastatin (1 μM) or left untreated for 2 days. Cells were then washed and cultured with naïve DO11.10 CD4⁺ T cells and OVA peptide (5 μg/ml) for 5 days. Nuclear extracts were analyzed by immunoblotting with antibodies against GATA-3, T-bet, or CREB-1. Each blot was scanned by densitometry, and the ratio of GATA-3 or T-bet to CREB-1 was calculated and presented. ∗, P < 0.001; ∗∗, P < 0.001; ∗∗∗, P < 0.01; ∗∗∗∗, P < 0.01, relative to an untreated group. (B) Cytokines in culture supernatants as determined by ELISA. Data are the mean ± SEM of individual wells and are representative of three independent experiments. (C) Similar proliferation of DO11.10 TCR transgenic T cells induced by simvastatin-treated or control DCs. The experiment was repeated two times with similar results.