γδ+ T cell numbers are increased in organs of <i>Socs3^fl/fl lck cre</i> mice.

<p>The frequency of γδ+ T cells within CD3+ cells in the thymus (A), spleen (B) and lung (C) of <i>Socs3^fl/fl lck cre</i> and <i>Socs3^fl/fl</i> mice obtained before or 2.5 weeks after M. tuberculosis infection were determined by FACS. Mean percentage (A–C) and the total numbers (D) of γδ+ within CD3+ T cells in the lungs ± SEM are depicted. Differences with <i>Socs3^fl/fl</i> mice (n = 4 per group) are significant (*p&lt;0.05, ***p&lt;0.001 Student t test). The gating strategy and representative dot-plots for spleens of infected <i>Socs3^fl/fl lck cre</i> and <i>Socs3^fl/fl</i> mice are shown (E). Two million <i>Socs3^fl/fl lck cre</i> or <i>Socs3^fl/fl</i> CD90+ T cells positively selected from spleens using magnetic beads were inoculated i.v. into <i>Rag1^−/−</i> mice. A group of animals was also inoculated with both <i>Socs3^fl/fl lck cre</i> and <i>Socs3^fl/fl T</i> cells (F). <i>Rag1^−/−</i> mice were alternatively transferred with 1.2×10⁶ CD4+ or 2×10⁶ CD90+ <i>Socs3^fl/fl lck cre</i> spleen cells (G) or in a different experiment with 2×10⁶ FACS-sorted CD3+ depleted of γδ+ T cells or total CD3+ <i>Socs3^fl/fl lck cre</i> spleen cells (H). Two weeks after transfer, mice were infected with <i>M. tuberculosis</i> via the aerosol route. Mice (n≥6 per group) were sacrificed 4 weeks after infection. Box and whisker diagrams showing the median CFU, quartiles and the 99^th percentiles in lungs and spleens are depicted (F–H). Differences in CFU are significant (*p&lt;0.05, **p&lt;0.001, ***p&lt;0.001 Mann Whitney U test).