The conical phenotypic markers of Tfh cells established in other mouse strains are maintained in BALB/c mice.

<p>Animals were immunized subcutaneously in the pinna of the ear with MalE protein emulsified in IFA. Nine days later, CD4+ cells from draining cervical lymph nodes were analyzed for Tfh cell phenotypic markers. (A) CD4+CXCR5^highBCL6+ cells were analyzed for dual expression of PD1 and ICOS. (B) CD44 staining of CD4+ (filled) and CD4+CXCR5^highBCL6+ (open) cells. (C) Gating strategy gating of Tfh, non-Tfh, and CD4+CD44^low cell populations represented in D and E. (D) Expression of ICOS, CD69, BCL6, CD62L, and CCR7 are shown for Tfh (thick line), non-Tfh (shaded), and CD4+CD44^low (thin line) populations. (E) Absolute numbers of Tfh (open squares) and non-Tfh (closed squares) cells within the lymph nodes were calculated by multiplying the percent of each cell type by the total number of cells from the harvested lymph nodes. Error bars show the standard error of the mean (S.E.M) of three to five single mouse experiments per time point.