Figure 6.

Integrin αvβ8-mediated TGF-β activation is critical for the enhanced ability of intestinal DCs to induce Foxp3⁺ Tregs in vivo after oral administration of antigen. A total of 2 × 10⁶ carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester–labeled CD4⁺ T cells from OTII/Rag^−/− mice were injected intravenously into control or Itgb8 (CD11c-Cre) mice. Recipient mice were fed ovalbumin in drinking water and mLN analyzed for CD4⁺ Vα2⁺ Foxp3⁺ cells after 6 days. (A) Representative flow cytometry plots and pooled data showing iTreg in mLN of recipient mice (n = 3). (B) Total number of transferred cells in mLN of recipient mice. (C) Proportion of CD103⁺ DCs in the mLN, small intestine lamina propria (SILP), Peyer's patches (PP), and large intestine lamina propria (LILP) of control and Itgb8 (CD11c-Cre) mice. Data from 8 independent experiments. *P < .05.