Figure 6.

LPS binding to S protein subunits boosts in vivo proinflammatory responses in NF-κB reporter mice. (A and B) LPS alone or in combination with S1 (A) or S2 (B) was subcutaneously deposited on the left and right sides on the back of transgenic BALB/c Tg(NF-κB-RE-luc)-Xen reporter mice. In vivo imaging of NF-κB reporter gene expression was performed using the IVIS Spectrum system. Representative images show bioluminescence at 1, 3, and 6 h after subcutaneous deposition and bar charts show bioluminescence emitted from these reporter mice. Areas of subcutaneous deposition and region of interest for data analysis are depicted as dotted circles. Data are presented as mean ± SEM (n = 4). P-values were determined using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett posttest. *P ≤ 0.05; **P ≤ 0.01; ***P ≤ 0.001; ****P ≤ 0.0001; ns, not significant.