Figure 2.

Reduction in MCL-1 levels does not negatively impact on the general health of mice treated with standard chemotherapy. (a) Study design: Mcl-1^+/− and wild-type (wt) mice were treated with clinically relevant regimens of chemotherapeutic drugs, including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), hydroxyurea, cytarabine, etoposide, doxorubicin, dexamethasone and paclitaxel. Upon treatment, the general health, including weight and signs of anaemia, were carefully monitored for a minimum of 21 days. Furthermore, the haematopoietic cell subset composition was analysed on days 0, 4, 7, 10, 14 and 21–35 days post-treatment. Peripheral blood samples were analysed using FACS and ADVIA, and the absolute numbers of white blood cells, RBCs, lymphocytes and platelets were determined. Haemoglobin content and RBC quality (median corpuscular volume and haemoglobin content in RBC) were also assessed. At day 7 post-treatment, a group of mice from each treatment cohort was killed for a detailed analysis of their haematopoietic system and other tissues. (b-d) Kaplan–Meier survival curves of mice treated with the indicated chemotherapeutic drugs. (e) Body weight change (%) of wild-type (n>3) and Mcl-1^+/− mice (n>3) after treatment with the indicated drugs was determined at the indicated time points post-treatment