Fig. 4.

OVA DNT treatment selectively inhibited Tfh cells and CD11b⁺ DCs. OVA-sensitized mice were treated with an intravenous transfer of OVA DNTs after the first OVA challenge. The mice were challenged daily for the next two days and sacrificed 48 h after the last aerosol challenge. a The lung and BALF Tfh cell (CD4⁺B220^-CXCR5⁺PD-1⁺), b CD4⁺ T cell (CD4⁺B220^-) and Treg cell (CD4⁺B220^-Foxp3⁺) proportions were measured by flow cytometry. c The lung and mLN CD11b⁺ DC (CD11c⁺MHC-II⁺CD11b⁺), d DC (CD11c⁺MHC-9II⁺) and CD103⁺ DC (CD11c⁺MHC-II⁺CD103⁺CD11b^-) proportions were measured by flow cytometry. e The proportions of B cells (B220⁺CD4^-) in the mLN (mediastinum lymph node), BALF and lungs were measured by flow cytometry. OVA-stimulated bone marrow cells were cocultured with OVA DNTs and stimulated with GM-CSF (20 ng/ml) for 3 days to test the direct effect of OVA DNTs on OVA DC proliferation and differentiation. f The proportions of bone marrow-derived DCs and CD11b+ DCs were measured by flow cytometry. The direct effects of OVA DNTs on g costimulatory molecule expression and h apoptosis in DCs were measured by flow cytometry. i OVA tetramer⁺ and tetramer^- DNT cells were sorted by flow cytometry from OVA-primed DNT cells. Tetramer⁺ or tetramer⁻ DNT cells were cocultured with lung DCs from allergic asthma mice for 3 days. The MFIs of CD86 and MHC-II in DCs were measured by flow cytometry. j Lung DCs (2.5 × 10⁴) from OVA DNT cell-treated or -untreated asthma mice were cocultured with 1 × 10⁵ naive CD4+ T cells for 3 days. IL21- and IL4-secreting CD4⁺ T cells were measured by flow cytometry. Data are shown as the mean ± SEM; n = 4–5 mice per group. One-way ANOVA and Student’s t-test were used to calculate significance. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001. Source data are provided as a source data file