Figure 1.
Serum HA levels and ileal expression of HAS-1 mRNA increased in TNFΔARE mice. (A) Levels of HA in serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (n = 7/strain; *P < .05). (B) mRNA levels for HAS-1, -2, and -3 were determined using real-time reverse-transcription PCR, and normalized to the 18s ribosomal RNA internal control in each sample of ileum of WT (black bars) and TNFΔARE mice (gray bars; n = 10 mice/time point, mean ± SEM; *P < .05). (C) The severity of ileitis was assessed at 4, 10, and 30 weeks of age as described8 (n = 10 mice/time point, total index represents the sum of individual active, chronic, and transmural indices). (D) HA binding protein reactivity localized to infiltrating leukocytes and small intestinal crypts. Pre-incubation with soluble HA inhibited binding of HBP. Representative micrographs are from 3 separate experiments; original magnification, 20×.