TABLE 3.
Immunophenotyping of spleen cellsa
| Immune marker analyzed | % Positive-staining cells, with and without mycobacterial infection, for treatment group:
|
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PBS
|
IL-2
|
IL-4
|
IL-7
|
IL-15
|
||||||
| − | + | − | + | − | + | − | + | − | + | |
| αβ TCR | 25 | 12 | 23 | 9 | 22 | 18 | 30 | 25 | 40 | 26 |
| γδ TCR | 11 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 12 | 1.5 | 8 | 2 |
| CD4/CD8 | 1.6 | 3 | 2.2 | 2 | 2.1 | 3 | 3.4 | 1 | 1.6 | 1 |
| CD19 | 58 | ND | 54 | ND | 44 | ND | 56 | ND | 38 | ND |
| NK | 11 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
a
BALB/c mice were either infected (+) or not infected (−) with M. tuberculosis. After 3 weeks, animals received either PBS (cytokine diluent used for injection) or cytokines as indicated for 7 consecutive days. Spleens were harvested, single-cell suspensions were prepared, and immune marker analysis was performed by flow cytometry. Note the increased α/β TCR-positive-staining cell population in M. tuberculosis-infected animals which had been treated with either IL-7 or IL-15 compared to infected mice which received PBS, IL-2, or IL-4. Data are means of values for three animals per group.