Extended Data Fig. 2: BCMA is dispensable for atherosclerosis development.
From: APRIL limits atherosclerosis by binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans
Lethally irradiated Ldlr−/− mice were injected with bone marrow from Bcma+/+ (hem-Bcma+/+) or Bcma−/− donors (hem-Bcma−/−) and were fed an atherogenic diet for 10 weeks. a, Bcma mRNA in the spleen (n = 11 hem-Bcma+/+, n = 13 hem-Bcma−/− mice). b, Representative photomicrographs of H&E-stained aortic root lesions (left) and average lesion size in the aortic origin (right) expressed as μm2 per section (n = 11 hem-Bcma+/+, n = 12 hem-Bcma−/− mice). c, Whole body weight, plasma triglyceride levels and en face lesion size (n = 11 hem-Bcma+/+, n = 13 hem-Bcma−/− mice). d, Total plasma cholesterol (n = 11 hem-Bcma+/+, n = 13 hem-Bcma−/− mice). e, Absolute numbers of FO/T2, MZ, CD21+CD23− (P = 0.028), T1 (P = 0.023), NF (P = 0.031) and B-1 B cells (n = 11 hem-Bcma+/+, n = 13 hem-Bcma−/− mice). f, Absolute numbers of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (n = 11 hem-Bcma+/+, n = 13 hem-Bcma−/− mice). g, h, Frequencies of peritoneal B-1a (P = 0.003), B-1b (P = 0.021) and CD23+ B-2 cells (P = 0.0003) (g) and total IgM (P = 0.002), IgG1, IgG2b (P = 0.002), IgG2c (P = 0.001), IgG3 (P = 0.032) and IgA plasma antibody titers (h; n = 11 hem-Bcma+/+, n = 13 hem-Bcma−/− mice). All results show mean ± s.e.m. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001 (two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test or two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test). Scale bar, 200 μm.
