In contrast, there was a significant decrease in the percentage of donor T cells in the blood of transgenic mice having received Selleckchem QNZ immunized donor cells. In fact, among the groups of mice studied, the transgenic animals had

the lowest percentage of donor T cells in the blood (Figure 6b). There was no significant difference of donor cell percentages in the groups receiving cells from non-immunized donors. Figure 6 Flow cytometric analysis of recipient mouse blood 24 hrs and 7 days post-adoptive transfer. A) The percentage of CFSE PF-3084014 CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the blood of the recipient mice 24 hrs post-injection. The × axis indicates the donor and recipient mouse groups (n = 7) and the Y axis indicate the percentage of the CFSE+ CD4+ or signaling pathway CD8+ T cells B) The percentage of donor CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the blood seven days after the injection. The cells were surface stained with anti-CD3+ and anti-CD4+

antibodies or anti-CD3+ and anti-CD8+ and analyzed by flow cytometry (P < 0.001). A higher percentage of donor T-cells from the non-immunized groups homed to the spleen as compared to the immunized animals. There was a four to ten-fold increase in the number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the spleens of mice receiving non-immunized donor (Figure 7a). The donor cells from immunized animals homed to the lymph nodes of the wild type mice only. There were few labeled cells in the transgenic lymph nodes. This may be due to alterations in the homing receptors of the T cells in the transgenic mouse lymph nodes. The percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the non-transgenic recipient mouse lymph nodes were significantly higher than the transgenic mice when they received cells from immunized donor mice (Figure 7b). The proportion of CD8+ T cells was higher than CD4+ T cells in lymph nodes of these wild type recipients of immunized donor mice. There was no difference between the transgenic and non-transgenic recipient mouse groups when they received

transfers from non-immunized donors. In contrast to wild-type mice, donor cells from immunized mice homed to the liver of transgenic mice as demonstrated by a three-fold increase in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells compared to the other groups of recipient Ribonuclease T1 mice (Figure 8). This may indicate a trapping or homing mechanism for T-cells in transgenic mouse livers due to the dominant expression of the HCV transgene. Figure 7 Flow cytometric analysis of recipient mouse spleens and lymph nodes. A) The percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the spleens of mice receiving immunized and non- immunized donor cells. B) The percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the lymph nodes of the recipient mice. The cells were surface stained with anti-CD3+ and anti-CD4+ antibodies or anti-CD3+ and anti-CD8+ and analyzed by flow cytometry (P < 0.001). Figure 8 Flow cytometric analysis of recipient mouse livers.