Figure 5. miR-18a mediated inhibition of the growth of liver metastasis of colon tumor cells is IFNγ dependent.
(A) Representative livers (up) (metastatic nodules shown by arrows) and H & E-stained sections of livers (middle, 20×; bottom, 400× magnification) from IFNγ knockout (KO) naïve mice. Liver weight of IFNγ KO mice (bottom). (B) Frequency of IFNγ+F4/80+ cells in liver from IFNγ KO mice (Naïve) and CT26 liver metastatic mice was assessed by flow cytometry. The percentages of IFNγ+F4/80+ cells in liver and each symbol represents the FACS data from individual mice (right panel). (C) Frequency of IL-12, TGFβ, MHCII positive cells in liver F4/80+ cells from IFNγ KO mice was assessed by flow cytometry. The percentages of double positively stained cells from treated mice are presented, and each symbol represents the FACS data from individual mice (right panel). (D) Representative livers (upper) and H&E-stained sections of livers (middle, 20x; bottom, 400x magnification) from NOG mice treated as labeled in the figure are shown (upper panel), and liver weight of NOG mice treated as labeled in the figure is indicated (bottom panel). (E) Frequency of liver F4/80+IFNγ+, F4/80+IL-12+, F4/80+MHCII+ and F4/80+TGFβ+ cells from NOG mice treated as indicated in the labels of figure 5e. Percent double positive cells (right panels). (F) Representative livers (up) from athymic nude mice. Middle: liver weight. Bottom: quantification of liver metastatic foci. (G) Frequency of IFNγ and IL-12 positive cells in liver F4/80+ KC cells. (H) Frequency of IFNγ positive cells in liver Dx5+NK cells. *P < 0.05 (two-tailed t-test). Data are representative of three independent experiments (error bars, S.E.M.).