Figure 1
Natural killer (NK) cell–deficient mice rapidly succumb to detran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. (a) Bioluminescent NK cell trafficking 22 h post-transfer in mice with DSS-induced colitis. NK cells were isolated from the spleens and lymph nodes of FVB/N transgenic β-actin-luciferase mice 7 days after DSS administration. Cells (∼4 × 106 cells/mouse) were injected intravenously into the tail veins of healthy or DSS-induced recipients (n=6). (b) Mortality, (c) body weight, and (d) colon mass in two models with NK cell deficiency; NK cell depletion using anti-asialo GM1 (anti-AGM1; every 3–4 days) or NK cell–deficient (NKD) mice (plus control mice) in C57BL/6 mice undergoing DSS-induced colitis. ‡ indicates one animal remaining. Dotted line indicates average healthy colon mass. (e) Cytokine levels in whole colonic homogenates on day 7 DSS. (f) Representative histology of hematoxylin and eosin–stained colon sections at day 7 DSS. Bar=200 μm. Graphs represent overall histology score. Data are means±s.d. n=7–12 mice per group, representative of three experiments. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, and ***P<0.001. gzmB, granzyme B; IFN, interferon; IgG, immunoglobulin G; IL, interleukin; mKC, mouse keratinocyte-derived chemokine; NS, not significant; TGF, transforming growth factor; WT, wild type.
