FIG 2.

Atg5 supports R. australis infection in BMMs accompanied by inhibited production of IL-1β. BMMs of Atg5^flox/flox Lyz-Cre and Atg5^flox/flox mice were infected with R. australis at an MOI of 2. (A) Rickettsial infection in these primary mouse macrophages was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR at 30 min and 48 h p.i. The number of rickettsial citrate synthase (CS) gene copies per nanogram of genomic DNA represents the quantity of rickettsiae. (B) The production levels of IL-1β and IL-12p70 in the supernatant of R. australis-infected BMMs from Atg5^flox/flox Lyz-Cre and Atg5^flox/flox mice after 24 h were determined by Bio-Plex assay (Bio-Rad). The data shown are the mean ± standard deviation (SD) from three independent experiments. *, P < 0.05; n.s., not significantly different.