Non-specific binding was blocked using 10% goat serum in TBST (0·1 m Tris–HCl, pH 7·5; 0·15 m NaCl; 0·1% Tween-20) for 30 min. Sections were then incubated for 60 min with the following primary antibodies: CD3e-biotin, CD11b, CD11c-allophycocyanin (APC), CD103-phycoerythrin

(PE), CD11c-biotin (BD Biosciences, Stockholm, Sweden) and with IgD (Biolegend, San Diego, CA), diluted in TBST. Unlabelled Pexidartinib mw antibodies were detected using Cy5-conjugated anti-rat IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch, West Grove, PA), and biotinylated antibodies were detected using fluorophore tyramide (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA). Tissue sections were mounted in Vectashield with DAPI (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA), and analysed using laser scanning confocal microscopy (Leica TSP-2; Leica, Heidelberg, Germany). Images were analysed using leica lcs software (Leica, San Jose, CA) and Adobe Photoshop CS3. Intracellular staining for Foxp3 was carried out using a Mouse Regulatory T Cell Staining kit (eBioscience, San Diego, CA). 7-Amino-actinomycin D (7AAD) was used to exclude dead cells. The following conjugated antibodies were used for surface staining: CD3e-APC, CD4-Alexa-700, CD8a-PE-Cy7, CD11b-APC-Cy7,

CD11c-Pacific blue, CD45R-Pacific blue, CD45R-Alexa Fluor 488, MHC-II-Alexa-700, Aurora Kinase inhibitor KJ1-26-PE and Foxp3-PE (eBioscience), CD19-APC, CD25-APC-Cy7, CD62L-APC, CD103-PE (BD Bioscience), and streptavidin-Qdot 605 (Invitrogen). CD172a antibody was provided by Dr Karl Lagenaur and biotinylated in-house. Flow cytometry was performed on an LSR:II (BD Bioscience) and results were analysed using flowjo software (Tree Star, Ashland, OR). CD4+ T cells were enriched from spleens and LN of DO11.10 mice by positive selection magnetic separation using a MACS LS-column (Miltenyi Biotec, BergischGladbach, Germany). CD4+ cells were stained with 2·5 μm 5,6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE; Invitrogen) and 2·5 × 106 to 5 × 106 cells were selleck compound injected intravenously into recipient CD47−/− and WT mice. The following day, mice were fed 10 mg OVA (grade V; Sigma, Stockholm, Sweden) in the presence or absence of 10 μg CT (Sigma) in 3% NaHCO3, or injected with 100 μg OVA intravenously. After 3 days, organs

were harvested and CD4+ T-cell proliferation was analysed by CFSE profiling. CD47−/− and WT mice were fed PBS or OVA (5 or 50 mg). Ten days later, all mice were challenged subcutaneously with 100 μg OVA in incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (IFA). Draining LN (inguinal) were harvested 1 week later and cells were re-stimulated with low-endotoxin OVA. Three days later, [3H]thymidine was added for 6 hr, then cells were harvested, and thymidine incorporation was measured using a β-counter. The stimulation index was defined as cellular proliferation in the OVA-fed group in relation to the PBS-fed group normalized to 0%. Wild-type mice that received PBS were used as reference for OVA-fed WT mice, and PBS-fed CD47−/− mice were reference for OVA-fed CD47−/− mice.