FIGURE 3.

NRG4 blocks cytokine-induced apoptosis in vivo and improves experimental colitis. A–D, mice were injected intraperitoneally with TNF (250 μg/kg) plus IFN-γ (250 units/g), with or without NRG4 (100 μg/kg). After 24 h, colons were excised. Apoptosis was assessed by Western blot (A and B) for cleaved caspase-3 on epithelial isolates (graph in B is a quantification of blots from four mice per condition) and ISOL stain (C and D) (images in C show representative labeled cells) on sections of fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. E–G, mice were given 3% DSS for 7 days and injected daily with either PBS vehicle or NRG4. Disease parameters, including histopathological scoring on fixed, rolled colons (E), weight loss over the course of the 7-day DSS exposure (F), and colon shortening (G), were determined. Error bars, S.E.