Fig. 3.

FATT mutation does not affect cellularity of the thymus and spleen and aggravates Con A-induced hepatitis. Thymic (a) and splenic (b) lymphocytes were isolated from 9- to 10-week-old wild-type (+/+), heterozygote (fatt/+) and obese (fatt/fatt) mice. Cells were counted and stained for CD4 and CD8 expression using FACS. Bars represent averages ± SEM. c Splenocytes were seeded in 96-well plates and stimulated with indicated amounts of Con A for 96 h. IFN-γ levels were determined in a specific ELISA. Bars represent averages of 4 mice; quadruplicate values per mouse and error bars the SEM. d–g Hepatitis in +/+, fatt/+ , fatt/fatt, or LR deficient db/db and +/+ littermates mice was induced by intravenous injection of Con A. Animals were treated either according to their weight (10 mg/kg; d and e) or with a fixed amount Con A (400 μg; f and g). Blood was collected at 0 and 24 h and serum ALT (d, f) and AST (e, g) levels are plotted as averages (n = 10) ±SEM. Data are representative for three or more experiments. Statistics: *P < 0.05; Mann–Whitney U test