Figure 4

Oral tolerance and antigen-specific regulatory T cell induction are independent of α7nAChR. Oral tolerance was induced in α7nAChR^+/+ and α7nAChR^−/− mice with oral gavage of OVA or PBS as control. (A) OVA-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity response was determined by footpad swelling 48 h after OVA challenge. OT-II T cells were adoptively transferred into α7nAChR^+/+ and α7nAChR^−/− recipients and 5 and 12 d after adoptive transfer, Treg population was evaluated by flow cytometry. Plots are gated on CD45.1⁺CD4⁺ cells. The frequency of CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ Tregs generated out of adoptively transferred OVA-specific CD45.1⁺CD4⁺ cells was determined in small intestine lamina propria (B) and MLNs (C). Dots represent individual mice. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. Data representative of two independent experiments. Statistical significance was determined with unpaired Student t-test (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01; ns, not significant).