Fig. 5

Adoptive transfer of ex vivo Th1 or Th2-skewed CD4⁺ T cells in T cell-deficient mice. A OT-II mice [transgenic for an ovalbumin (OVA)-specific MHC II-restricted T cell receptor) were immunized with OVA in combination with either complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) or alum to induce a Th1- or Th2-skewed immune response, respectively. Three weeks later, their splenic and lymph node CD4⁺ T cells were isolated and transferred i.p. to recombination-activating gene (RAG)-1 knockout mice (T cell-deficient, 1 × 10⁶ cells/mouse) that were given saline or OVA eye drops daily for 4 weeks to induce an ocular immune response. B Delayed-type hypersensitivity response to footpad OVA injection in transferred mice. Pooled data (left) and representative images (right) of footpads. C Proportion of CD4⁺ T cells in cervical lymph nodes of adoptively transferred mice (representative experiment). D Representative dot plots and E pooled data of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-17 production by CD4⁺ T cells obtained from lymph nodes of transferred mice. F Pooled data of ratio of IL-4/IFN-γ producing CD4⁺ T cells. G Representative photographs of transferred mouse eyes after 4 weeks of ocular challenge. H Conjunctival CD4⁺ T cells in transferred mice as assessed by flow cytometry (representative experiment). All experiments were performed twice or more with 6 mice/group/experiment. For all experiments, mean ± standard error of measurement is shown. To compare means, Student’s t test was used for B, C, E, and F, and two-way ANOVA (cell source and ocular challenge) was used for H. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ns not significant