Figure 3: DC MST1 inhibits Th17 differentiation in anti-fungi infection.

Mice were infected with 10⁵ C. albicans SC5314 by i.v. injection. After 9 days, kidneys were collected and a photo of the H&E staining of pathological kidney injuries is shown (Scale bars, 100 μm) (a) and the fungal burden in the kidneys expressed as CFU per g (b). (c) Serum cytokine level of IL-17 and IFNγ in infected mice. (d,e) CD4⁺T cells isolated from the spleen of the WT or Mst1^ΔDC mice were labelled with CFSE and stimulated with heat-killed C. albicans for 3 days. Intracellular staining of IL-17 and IFNγ in CFSE^low cells was determined with FCM. A typical figure is shown (d) and the data summarized (e). (f) CD4⁺T cells isolated from the spleen of infected WT or Mst1^ΔDC mice, and ex vivo stimulation was performed with anti-CD3 (1 μg ml⁻¹) for 24 h, then mRNA expression of the indicated gene was analysed using qPCR (Levels in the WT groups were set to 1). Data are representative of three to four independent experiments (mean±s.d.; n=4–8). *P<0.05 and ***P<0.001, compared with the indicated groups. P-values were determined using Student’s t-tests.