FIGURE 2.

Intestinal CD11c⁺CX₃CR1⁺ macrophages can induce IgA production via expression of BAFF, APRIL and TNF-α. CD11c⁺ cells of small intestinal lamina propria from CX₃CR1^(GFP/+) mice were sorted to CX₃CR1⁺ and CX₃CR1⁻ subsets. (A) Gene expression of IL-10, IL-6, iNOS, TGF-β1 and TNF-α of CX₃CR1⁺ macrophages or CX₃CR1⁻ DCs. (B) Gene expression of BAFF and APRIL. (C–F) The level of total IgA was determined from culture supernatants of B cells co-cultured with CX₃CR1⁺ macrophages or CX₃CR1⁻ DCs in presence of (C) LE540 (1 µM), (D) anti-TNF-α (10 µg/ml), (E) BCMA/TACI (10 µg/ml) or (F) anti-BAFF (10 µg/ml). Data are representative of three independent experiments. Graphs show mean ± SEM. **p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001 using one-way ANOVA.