Figure 3.

OT-II proliferation is unaffected by depletion of langerin⁺ CD8α⁺ dendritic cells. Lang-diphtheria toxin receptor mice received 5 × 10⁶ carboxyflourescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-labeled splenocytes from OT-II × B6 donor mice 1 day before i.v. infection with 10⁵ CFU rBCG-OVA. One group of mice was not infected (OT-II only group). Mice infected with rBCG-OVA were treated with 350 ng DT i.p. (or PBS as a control) starting on day −2, every 2 days until day 6. On day 9 after infection, mice were culled and spleens were removed. The CFSE profile of splenic OT-II cells was assessed by flow cytometry. (A) Representative plots of CD4⁺ CD45.1⁺ Vα2⁺ OT-II cells and their CFSE profiles, gated on proliferating (CFSE intermediate and negative) OT-II cells. (B) The number of OT-II cells and (C) the number of proliferating OT-II cells per spleen are shown (n = 3 mice per group). NS, not significant, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, one-way ANOVA. The results are representative of two independent experiments.