FIG 1.

The B. abortus virB10 mutant (ΔvirB10) does not induce a profibrogenic phenotype in LX-2 cells. (A) LX-2 cells were infected with B. abortus (Ba), B. abortus RB51 (RB51), or the B. abortus bpe005 mutant (Δbpe005) or with the ΔvirB10 mutant at an MOI of 1,000, and CFU levels were determined 2, 4, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h postinfection. (B) MMP-9 production assessed by zymography at 24 h postinfection, (C) Densitometric analysis of results from three independent experiments performed as described for panel B. (D to H) ELISA determinations of levels of IL-6 (D), MCP-1 (E), IL-8 (F), TIMP-1 (G), and TGF-β1 (H) were performed in culture supernatants from LX-2 cells infected for 24 h. (I) Collagen deposition was assessed by quantification of Sirius red at 7 days postinfection. MMP-9 activity, cytokine secretion, and collagen deposition analyses were performed using LX-2 cells infected at an MOI of 1,000. PMA, phorbol myristate acetate. Data are given as the means ± SEM of results from experiments performed in duplicate. Data shown are from a representative experiment of three performed. **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001 (versus noninfected [N.I.]).