Mice with airway epithelial Tsc2 deletion (Cre+) and Cre– control mice were subjected to MV with high TV (12 cc/kg) without PEEP (0 cm H2O) for 4 hours. (A) The change in respiratory system compliance (CRS) and (B) inspiratory capacity (IC) were measured during MV. All data were normally distributed, analyzed by Student’s t test, *P < 0.05. (C) Oxygen saturations measured via pulse oximetry during the 4-hour period of ventilation presented as mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05, by 2-way ANOVA with repeated measures with Holms-Sidak post hoc test. Following MV, a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed and total inflammatory cells (D), neutrophils (PMNs) (E), and protein levels (F) were measured. For PMN counts, n = 12 for Cre- and n = 9 for Cre+. IL-6 (G) and KC (H) levels were measured in BAL fluid by ELISA. n = 13 for Cre- and n = 11 for Cre+ unless otherwise noted. Box blots show median ± interquartile range and whiskers define min and max values.