Fig. 5.

A big part of the sorted CD4⁺CD25⁻ cells had become FOXP3⁺CD25⁺ after 15 days of expansion, but the cells expanded starting with sorted CD4⁺CD25⁺CD127^lo/− Tregs had a higher FOXP3 expression intensity, as well as a higher percentage of positive cells. (a) Shows a representative overlay of FOXP3 expression in expanded cells starting with sorted CD4⁺CD25⁺CD127^lo/− and CD4⁺CD25⁻ of the same individual, and in (b) FOXP3⁺CD25⁺ expression after expansion of sorted CD4⁺CD25⁻ and (c) after expansion of sorted CD4⁺CD25⁺CD127^lo/−. Cumulative data of the expansion of sorted CD4⁺CD25⁺CD127^lo/− T-cells (d) confirmed that a higher percentage of sorted and expanded CD4⁺CD25⁺CD127^lo/− was FOXP3 positive (p<0.001). Expanded CD4⁺CD25⁺CD127^lo/− had a higher mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of FOXP3, both expressed as (e) geometrical mean (p<0.001) and (f) mean (p<0.001), compared to expanded cells starting with sorted CD4⁺CD25⁻.