Fig 2. Numbers of different types of IECs in antibiotic-treated mice.

(A) SPF mice (4-week-old) were provided with drinking water supplemented (or not) with an antibiotic cocktail (Abx: ampicillin, vancomycin, metronidazole, neomycin) for 4 weeks, after which paraffin-embedded sections of the ileum from mice (8-week-old) were prepared and subjected to in situ hybridization analysis of Olfm4 mRNA. Representative images are shown in the left panels. Scale bar, 50 μm. The number of Olfm4 mRNA–positive cells per crypt was also determined from such sections (right panel). Data are means ± SE for 25 crypts from one mouse and are representative of three mice. (B) Frozen sections prepared from the ileum of mice (8-week-old) treated as in (A) were immunostained with antibodies to Muc2 (red) and to β-catenin (green). Representative images are shown in the left panels. Scale bar, 100 μm. The numbers of β-catenin–positive absorptive enterocytes and Muc2-positive goblet cells per villus were also determined from such sections. Data are means ± SE for 30 villi from one mouse and are representative of seven mice. *P < 0.05 (Student’s t test). (C) Frozen sections prepared from the ileum of mice (8-week-old) treated as in (A) were immunostained with antibodies to lysozyme (red) and to β-catenin (green). Representative images are shown in the left panels. Scale bar, 100 μm. The number of lysozyme-positive Paneth cells per crypt was also determined from such sections (right panel). Data are means ± SE for 30 crypts from one mouse and are representative of seven mice. *P < 0.05 (Student’s t test).