Figure 4.

Frequencies of CD25^lowFoxp3⁺cells are preferentially altered in thymectomized mice. The frequencies of Foxp3⁺CD25^high and Foxp3⁺CD25^low cells in the blood of young (2 months old, n = 8), aged (18 months old, n = 8), young mice thymectomized 30 days before (Tx, n = 6) and aged BALB/c mice grafted with a young syngeneic thymus 30 days before (n = 6) were determined by flow‐cytometry. (A) Representative dot‐plots are shown. (B, C, E) Column bar graphs show the percentages of CD25^high and CD25^neg/low events among Foxp3⁺ cells from (B) young and aged mice, (C) young mice before and 30 days after thymectomy, and (E) aged mice before and 30 days after young thymus grafting. (D) Frequencies of CD44⁺ cells among CD25^high and CD25^neg/low Treg cells 30 days after thymectomy. Data are pooled from three independent experiments and statistical significance was determined two‐way ANOVA with Bonferroni's Multiple Comparison Test (B and C), Unpaired t test (D), and two‐way ANOVA with Bonferroni's Multiple Comparison Test by Student's t‐test (E) (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ns, not significant).