Figure 6. Ag-specific iPSC-T_regs infiltrate into the knee joints, maintain the T_reg phenotype in vivo, and suppress AIA by reducing the local number of Th17 producing cells.

(A) The iPSC-T_regs or nT_regs (CD4⁺ CD25⁺) from OT-II TCR Tg mice (Thy 1.2⁺) were adoptively transferred into C57BL/6 congenic mice (Thy1.1⁺) with AIA. Six weeks later, mice were sacrificed and the popliteal lymph nodes from the inflammatory right side were analyzed for CD4⁺ Thy 1.2⁺ cells. Data are representative of three independent experiments. The mean ± SD from three independent experiments is shown (*p < 0.05, one-way ANONA). (B) On days 7-14 after arthritis induction, the knees were removed and stained for immunohistology with CD4, FoxP3, and TCRVβ5. Data are representative of five mice per group in three independent experiments. (C) On day 14 after arthritis induction, mice were sacrificed and the popliteal lymph nodes were removed from both sides, and the cells were analyzed for intracellular IL-17 staining, gating on CD4⁺ populations. Data are representative of three independent experiments. The mean ± SD from three independent experiments is shown (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, one-way ANOVA).