Figure 2. DC MST1 inhibits Th17 differentiation in EAE.

(a) EAE disease course in WT and Mst1^ΔDC mice. Intercellular staining of IL-17⁺ cells, IFNγ⁺ cells, IL-4⁺ cells (after stimulation with PMA and ionomycin) and Foxp3⁺ cells among CD4⁺T cells from the spinal cord of WT or Mst1^ΔDC mice were determined with flow cytometry method (FCM) on day 19 after MOG immunization. A typical figure is shown (b) and the data summarized (c). (d) CD4⁺T cells isolated from spinal cord of Mst1^ΔDC mice on the indicated day after MOG immunization along with mRNA expression of the indicated gene (levels in WT groups were set to 1). (e,f) CD4⁺T cells isolated from dLN of MOG-immunized WT or Mst1^ΔDC mice were labelled with CFSE and stimulated with MOG for 5 days. Intercellular staining of IL-17 and IFNγ in CFSE^low cells was determined with FCM. The typical figure is shown in e and data summarized (f). (g,h) CD4⁺T cells isolated from the dLN of MOG-immunized WT or Mst1^ΔDC mice, and ex vivo stimulation with anti-CD3 (1 μg ml⁻¹) for 24 h and mRNA expression (g) or cytokine secretion (h) of the indicated gene were analysed using qPCR (levels in the WT groups were set to 1) or ELISA. Data are representative of three to four independent experiments (mean±s.d.; n=4–6). *P<0.05 and ***P<0.001, compared with the indicated groups. P-values were determined using Student's t-tests.