New Role of Adult Lung c-kit⁺ Cells in a Mouse Model of Airway Hyperresponsiveness

Figure 5

Immunomodulatory properties of c-kit⁺ cells. (a–c) mRNA expression of IL-10 (a), IDO (b), and TGFβ (c) measured by RT-PCR in unstimulated (C, white bars) and stimulated (blue bars) c-kit⁺ ± SD. versus unstimulated cells. (d, e) Apoptotic inflammatory cells (TdT, red, arrowheads) within inflammatory infiltrates in the lungs of vehicle- (d) and c-kit⁺ cell-treated (e) asthmatic mice. GFP⁺ cells (green) are present in the close proximity of apoptotic inflammatory cells in c-kit⁺ cell-treated asthmatic mouse. (f) Apoptotic index of inflammatory cells in OVA and OVA+cCs animals. versus OVA mice. Scale bars, (d, e) 20 μm. IDO: indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase; TGFβ: transforming growth factor β; TdT: terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling.

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