Figure 8.

Abolition of autophagy in LECs alters Th17 in dLNs during early phases of CIA. (A and B) CIA was induced in Tx-treated Atg5^WT and Atg5^ΔProx1 mice (A) and Tx-treated MHCII^WT and MHCII^ΔProx1 mice (B), and IFN-γ–producing CD4⁺ T cell (Th1) and IL-17–producing CD4⁺ T cell (Th17) frequencies were analyzed in dLNs at indicated time points. (C–E) Tx-treated Atg5^WT and Atg5^ΔProx1 CIA mice were injected with FTY-720 (C). (D and E) At day 31, IFN-γ–producing (Th1) and IL-17–producing (Th17; D), total T reg (FoxP3⁺) and CD103⁺ T reg (CD103⁺Foxp3⁺; E) CD4⁺ T cell frequencies were analyzed in dLNs by flow cytometry. Data are representative of two independent experiments with five to seven mice/group. (F) Expression levels of type 1 receptor of S1P (S1P1 median) were assessed by flow cytometry on T reg (FoxP3⁺), Th1 (IFN-γ⁺), and Th17 (IL-17⁺) CD4⁺ cells from dLNs of CIA WT mice at day 31. Data are representative of two independent experiments with four or five mice/group. Unpaired t test (A and B), multiple t test comparison corrected using the Sidak-Bonferroni method (D and E), and one-way ANOVA (F). * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, and *** P < 0.001. (A–F) Error bars correspond to lower and higher values for each group.