Figure 4
Restoration of colonic mucus layer in response to depletion of colitogenic CD4 T cells and associated mucosal healing. (a) Periodic acid-Schiff staining (PAS), Muc-2 staining and 16S rRNA in situ hybridization of colonic tissue sections from naive control Rag−/− H+ mice, mice with active disease, or mice depleted of colitogenic CD4 T cells to induce remission in colitis on days 1, 3, 5, and 11 after anti-CD4 depletion (postdepletion (p.d.)). Bars=100 μm. (b) Goblet cells per crypt and crypt length measured on Alcian blue2.5/PAS-stained Carnoy-fixed tissue sections of the transverse colon of naive control mice, mice with active disease, or mice in remission in colitis on days 1, 3, and 11 days after anti-CD4 depletion. Data from three independent experiments quantifying three consecutive intermediate sections per colon are shown. n=3–4 mice per group and experiment. Statistics compare healthy controls vs. mice with active disease vs. mice in remission in colitis using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s multiple comparison test. *P<0.05; **P<0.01; ***P<0.005.
