Figure 6
From: Stromal cells as trend-setters for cells migrating into the lymph node
Cholera toxin-specific immune response is initiated in newly generated lymph node (LN) independent of the stromal cell (SC) origin. It was analyzed whether the Neotx-pLNmes is able to induce a specific immune response, which includes the induction of IgA-producing cells. Cholera toxin (CT) was given three times and, after 19 days, LNs were removed and the B-cell phenotype was analyzed using flow cytometry. The percentage of surface IgA+ B cells was similar in Neotx-pLNmes compared with Neotx-mLNmes after CT administration. CCR9 expression was upregulated on B cells from Neotx-pLNmes, and thus similar percentages were found compared with Neotx-mLNmes. Furthermore, the gut was lavaged to perform a CT-specific IgA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data show comparable CT-specific IgA levels in Neotx-mLNmes and Neotx-pLNmes. This indicates that gut-specific B cells were induced in Neotx-pLNmes after CT treatment. The means and s.e. are given from three to eight independent experiments (significant differences in the unpaired t-test are indicated by *P<0.05; ***P<0.001).
