Figure 1. Schistosomes target the differentiation toward the Th2 pathway.

• A
  Th cells (CD4⁺) were purified using magnetic beads from spleen and lymph nodes of 4‐ to 5‐week‐old mice. The cells were stimulated with anti‐CD3 and anti‐CD28 antibodies, beneath a trans‐well with 0.4‐μm pore containing 25–30 worms. The control wells contained only unused schistosomal medium.
• B, C
  72 h after stimulation with anti‐CD3 and anti‐CD28, the cells were re‐stimulated with P+I for 2 h, and the mRNA was subjected to qRT–PCR using the indicated primers for the lineage‐specifying transcription factors (B) or cytokines (C). The graphs represent an average of at least four independent experiments. In each graph, the expression level in the control was set as 100%. P‐value was calculated by t‐test. *P < 0.05, ***P < 0.005.