Figure 7.

IRF8-expressing Treg cells play a role in controlling cell-mediated immune response. DTH was induced by injecting OVA into control or CD4-specific IRF8-deficient mice as described in the Materials and Methods section. (a) Footpad swelling of the challenged mice was measured, and increased thickness was calculated by subtracting thickness of immunized foot from that of unimmunized foot. ctrl: control mice (IRF8 fl/fl mice), cKO: conditional IRF8 KO mice (IRF8 fl/fl × CD4-Cre mice). (b–c). Mice from (a) were killed, and cells from the right side of inguinal lymph nodes were isolated, stained with anti-CD4, anti-CXCR3, and anti-Foxp3 antibodies, and analyzed by flow cytometry. Cells were gated on CD4. The error bar shows S.E.M. (n = 3). Statistical difference between groups was analyzed by Student's t-test. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001.