B7-H4 Inhibits the Development of Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome by Regulating Treg Differentiation in NOD/Ltj Mice

Figure 6

B7-H4Ig ameliorates pSS in NOD/Ltj mouse. (a, b) Female NOD/Ltj mice were injected with control Ig or B7-H4Ig from 8 weeks of age. The mice were sacrificed at 15 weeks of age. H&E stains of the salivary gland sections from control Ig treatment and B7-H4Ig treatment mice. Arrows indicate infiltrates within the salivary gland (a). Histopathological assessment data are presented as FS (b). (c–e) Serum samples were collected from IgG isotype ctrl treatment and B7-H4Ig treatment NOD/Ltj mice, and the levels of immunoglobulins were measured by ELISA. Immunoglobulin levels for (c) IgM, (d) IgG, and (e) IgA are shown. (f–l) The salivary glands were collected from control Ig treatment and B7-H4Ig treatment NOD/Ltj mice. Relative levels of (f) IL-12 mRNA, (g) IL-6 mRNA, (h) IL-18 mRNA, (i) IL-1α mRNA, (j) TNF-α mRNA, (k) IFN-α mRNA, and (l) BAFF mRNA were determined by quantitative RT-PCR. Two-tailed Student’s -test. All the data presented were from three independent experiments.

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