Figure 4

The in vivo effect of α-toxin on erythropoiesis. Mice were injected intraperitoneally with 80 ng of purified α-toxin (α-Toxin) or PBS as a control (Control). BMCs and peripheral blood were isolated 24 hours after the injection. (A) Bone marrow cellularity was determined. (B–E) Flow cytometry analysis of BMCs was performed using specific antibodies against CD71 and TER119. A representative flow cytometry profile (B), the frequency of CD71⁺TER119⁻ cells (C), CD71⁺TER119⁺ cells (D), and CD71⁻TER119⁺ cells (E) are shown. (F) Plasma EPO level was measured by ELISA. Two-tailed Student’s t-test was employed to assess statistical significance. Values are mean ± standard error. **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001; n.s., not significant.