Fig. 4. Reduced infiltration of immune cells in the lacrimal gland of aged mast-deficient mice.

a Representative flow cytometry dot plots confirming the deficiency of FcεR1⁺cKit⁺ mast cells, gated on CD45⁺ cells (Gating strategy in Supplementary Fig. S1), in the lacrimal glands of cKit^w-sh mice, compared to wildtype C57BL/6 control (WT). b Bar chart depicting tryptase levels in tear wash collected from the ocular surface of WT and cKit^w-sh mice. c Representative flow cytometry histogram (left) and bar chart depicting frequencies of total CD45⁺ leukocyte in the lacrimal gland of young and aged WT C57BL/6, and aged cKit^w-sh mice (Gating strategy in Supplementary Fig. S1). Cumulative data (mean ± SD) from three independent experiments are shown, with each experiment consisting of n of 4 to 6 mice/group. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01.