Figure 5. Effect of NOD2 on cytokine release by DCs in response to GBS.

Control (CTRL) or NOD2^-/- bmDCs were stimulated with GBS wild-type (WT) strains or their respective non-encapsulated (ΔcpsE) mutants (10⁶ CFU/ml, initial MOI:1). After 2 h of bmDC-GBS infection, a bacteriostatic agent (chloramphenicol, 12 µg/ml) was added to the culture to prevent cell toxicity. Non-stimulated cells served as negative control (C-) for basal expression levels. Supernatants were harvested at 16 h of incubation and cytokine production quantified by ELISA. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (in ng/ml) from eight independent experiments.