Figure 3.
FLICA upregulation (i.e., Caspase-1 activation) in immune cells infiltrating the cornea infected with virulence and less-virulence strains of HSV-1. B6 mice (n = 5) were infected ocularly with 2.5 × 105 pfu/eye of HSV-1 laboratory strains (i.e., McKrae, 17, F, RE or KOS) or clinical isolates (i.e., KOS63 or KOS79). Mock-infected mice (n = 5) were used as controls. Single corneal cell suspensions were obtained from infected and mock-infected controls on day 2 post-infection (2 pools of 5 corneas were acquire in duplicate). (A) FLICA expression levels in cornea-derived leukocytes (left panels), inflammatory monocytes (middle panels) and neutrophils (right panels) 2-day post-infection with virulent (McKrae, 17) and less-virulent (F, RE, and KOS) laboratory strains are shown. (B) FLICA expression levels in cornea-derived leukocytes (left panels), inflammatory monocytes (middle panels) and neutrophils (right panels) 2-day post-infection with virulent (KOS79) and less-virulent (KOS63) clinical isolates are shown. (C) Column graphs represent the average percentages and absolute cell numbers from three independent experiments (± SEM). *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001, using ANOVA-multiple-comparison-test.