Figure 3
Proportions of NCR1+ lymphocytes in different tissues during C. parvum infection. (A) Sections from ileal Peyer’s patches of lambs 3, 6 and 11 dpi and their age-matched controls were labelled with NCR1 (green) mAb. NCR1+ cells changed neither in density nor location during infection. Diffuse light blue spots were identified as autofluorescence using the blue filter, especially in the lamina propria (lp). Dome (d), interfollicular area (ifa), follicle (f). Bar 50 μm. (B-D) The NCR1+ lymphocyte percentage within the mononuclear cell population (MNC) was determined by flow cytometry. (B) The plots show the example of the NCR1 labelling in cells purified from jejunal Peyers’patches (JPP) at 6 dpi and gated as indicated (black gate); the right plot shows the labelling with both the anti-ovine NCR1 mAb and the isotype control of the CD8 mAb. (C) The NCR1+ lymphocyte percentage is shown in the different organs of lambs from 1 to 6 or 7 days of age: each dot represents one animal and the bars indicate the mean values. Control lambs (open symbols) inoculated lambs (filled symbols). Mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN). (D) The points represent the fold increase of NCR1+ lymphocytes (i.e. ratio inoculated/control NCR1+ lymphocyte percentage) for each pair of age-matched lambs shown in graph C, and the red bars show the medians. The mean ratio was significantly superior to one with a confidence interval of 1.21-1.57 for spleen, 1.05-1.15 for MLN, 1.17-1.55 for JPP and 1.28-1.34 for jejunum (p < 0.01).