Figure 4.

Tob1 deficiency exacerbates TNBS-induced colitis in mice. The TNBS-induced colitis model was established in WT littermates (n = 12) and Tob1^–/– mice (n = 12). (A) The changes of body weight in WT littermates and Tob1^–/– mice were recorded every day over the duration of this experiment. (B) The scores of disease activity index (DAI) were calculated daily after TNBS administration. (C) WT littermates and Tob1^–/– mice were sacrificed on day 7 after TNBS induction, and gross morphology of colons is shown. (D) The colon length of WT littermates and Tob1^–/– mice is shown in the bar chart. (E) Representative colon sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Scale bars = 200 μm. (F) Pathological scores of the colon tissues were calculated and shown as indicated. (G and H) Intracellular expression of IFN-γ and IL-17A in LP-CD4⁺ T cells was analyzed by flow cytometry after stimulation with PMA and ionomycin for 5 hours, the percentages of IFN-γ⁺CD4⁺ and IL-17A⁺CD4⁺ T cells are shown in the bar chart. (I–N) Colon tissues were collected from colitic mice and control animals, and the expression of Ifn-γ, T-bet, Tnf-α, Il-17a, Rorγt, and Il-10 mRNA was examined by qRT-PCR. Statistical analysis was performed with unpaired 2-sided Student’s t tests. ∗P < .05, ∗∗P < .01, and ∗∗∗P < .001 vs TNBS-treated WT group. Data are representative of 3 independent experiments.