Figure 9.

Roles of IL-17A and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2) in the in vitro adjuvant effects of chitin. Cocultures were prepared that contained CD4⁺ T cells from wild-type, IL-17A^−/−, and TLR-2^−/− mice immunized with ovalbumin (OVA) plus chitin (OVA+Chitin T cells) and OVA (50 μg/ml; OVA+) or vehicle control–stimulated (OVA−) bone marrow–derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Supernatants were collected after incubation for 3 days and the levels of (A) IL-13 and (B) IL-5 were assessed by ELISA. (C) Proliferation of CFSE-labeled CD4⁺ T cells (vs. CD3 expression) was analyzed using flow cytometry at Day 5. Daughter cell generation is shown in the square box compared with undivided parental generation. Results in A and B are the mean ± SEM of a minimum of six mice per group. In C, one representative out of three independent experiments performed is shown. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.