Expression of MHC-II and co-stimulatory molecules on BM-DC (A) and cytokine production (B) in the co-culture of BM-DC with OT-II Th lymphocytes.

<p>Purified BM-DC (2.5 × 10⁵) were co-cultured with CD4⁺ OT-II splenocytes (7.5 × 10⁵) for 2 days in 1 ml of medium, with or without 10 μg/ml OVA or OVA-Cl. When indicated, 5 μg/ml of blocking anti-MHC-II mAb or 25 μg/ml anti-CD40L mAb was additionally included. Expression of proteins on BM-DC surfaces was assessed by flow cytometry and cytokine concentration in culture supernatants by ELISA. The results shown are averages +SEM from 4 independent experiments (A) or means +SEM of 4 replicates obtained in a single, representative experiment (B). The data were analysed by ANOVA, combined with the Tukey-Kramer post-test. *, p < 0.05.