FIGURE 2.

Freshly-isolated liver pDC from MDP-treated animals exhibit comparatively weak ability to induce allogeneic T cell proliferation and IFNγ production. Flt3L-expanded, freshly-isolated, immunobead-purified liver and spleen pDC and mDC from MDP (100µg/d, i.p., for 3 d)- or PBS-treated B10 mice were used as stimulators in 72 h MLR (responder cells: BALB/c bulk T cells). A) T cell proliferation was quantified by [³H]TdR incorporation. The proliferation of BALB/c T cells cultured alone (Neg control) and the responses of T cells stimulated with pDC or mDC isolated from CpG-ODN B (CpG)- or LPS-treated (LPS) mice (positive controls) are also shown. Data are representative of three independent experiments, with two mice per group in each experiment (*p<0.004). B) overall statistical analysis of three independent experiments showing the percentage of T cell proliferation induced by MDP-treated liver and spleen DC subsets relative to PBS-treated groups (*p<0.004). C) Supernatants from co-cultures of liver or spleen DC subsets from MDP- or PBS-treated B10 mice with BALB/c bulk T cells were harvested at 72 h and IFNγ levels quantified by ELISA. Data are representative of three independent experiments, with two mice per group in each experiment (*p<0.007 compared with MDP; NS: not significant).