FIG. 5.

IFN-γ mRNA expression in cecal tonsil lymphocytes depleted of CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ cells. SC chickens were infected with 10⁵ sporulated oocysts of E. tenella, and cecal tonsil lymphocytes were isolated by density gradient centrifugation at days 4 (A) and 6 (B) ppi. Cecal tonsil lymphocytes (12 chickens per group) were treated with CD4 or CD8 MAb plus complement to deplete the respective cell types. The amount of IFN-γ mRNA in 10⁷ cells as determined in RT-PCR was quantified using the formula d = a/(a + b), where a represents the staining intensity of the target IFN-γ band and b represents the intensity of the IFN-γ competitor band. The y axis shows the index, a relative value of d normalized against an internal control, β-actin. ∗ indicates significant difference at P < 0.05.