Figure 3.
Defective ASMase response to P. aeruginosa (PA) infection in CFTR KO mice. C57BL/6 mice and CFTR KO mice (Cftrtm1Unc-TgN (FABPCFTR)) were administered 0, 2 × 106, 1 × 107, or 5 × 107 cfu of PAO1 strain of P. aeruginosa by oral-pharyngeal instillation (eight mice in each group). The mice were killed 6 hours after PA administration. The lungs of half of each group of mice were used for ASMase mRNA analysis and the lungs of the other half of each group of mice were used for ceramide assays. (A) ASMase mRNA expression in lung homogenates of CFTR KO mice versus C57BL/6 mice. The mice were either uninfected (control group) or infected with 1 × 107 cfu of PA for 6 hours (n = 4, **P < 0.0001). (B) Total ceramide in lung homogenates of CFTR KO mice versus C57BL/6 mice (n = 4, *P < 0.01).