Figure 4. MIF overexpression enhances β-glucan lethality and pulmonary granuloma.

(A) Kaplan-Meyer survival analysis of Mif lung-Tg2.1 transgenic mice, wild-type (WT), and Mif-knockout (Mif-KO) mice after intravenous injection of β-glucan (1 mg per mouse, iv). (B) Survival of Mif lung-Tg2.1 transgenic mice treated with anti-MIF mAb versus an isotypic control immunoglobulin (IgG₁). Mice received a single i.p. injection of antibody (20 mg/kg, ip) at time 0. Data are compiled from 4 independent experiments, with A and B each replicated. A total of 44 mice were studied. (C) Granuloma density measured by histologic enumeration of mouse lungs obtained from Mif-KO, WT and Mif lung-Tg2.1 transgenic mice. Values represent 2 high power fields per section in >10 representative lung sections obtained from 36 mice. Values represent means ± SEM. (D) Representative lung sections showing immunostaining for MIF in alveolar epithelial cells and infiltrating mononuclear cells in pulmonary granulomas in Mif lung-Tg2.1 mice. Sections were obtained 48 hrs after β-glucan injection and stained with anti-MIF (left panel) or control antibody (right panel). Magnification = 100×. P values by Student’s t test (two-tailed).