FIGURE 5.

FTL_0325 mutant of F. tularensis LVS induces an early activation of inflammasome in a TLR2-dependent fashion. Western blot analysis visualizes activated caspase-1 (A), IL-1β (B), and IL-18 (C). IMCs derived from WT C57BL/6 mice were infected with either the FTL_0325 mutant or F. tularensis LVS at an m.o.i. of 100. The cells were lysed 12 h post-infection and analyzed by Western blot analysis. The blots were stripped and re-probed for β-actin, which was used as a loading control. The Western blot images are representative of at least two-three independent experiments. The relative quantification of the bands from two-three blots is shown and expressed as relative intensity units (RIU). The data were analyzed by ANOVA with Tukey-Kramer post-test, and a cut-off p value of 0.05 or less was considered significant. **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001. D, E, and F, shown is Western blot analysis using wild type and TLR2^−/− macrophages infected with the FTL_0325 mutant or F. tularensis LVS at 12 h post-infection.