Fig 2: DMF treatment likely affects both migration and differentiation of immune cells in the small intestine of EAE-affected mice. (A) CD11c+CD103+ cells are retained in LP of EAE-affected DMF-treated mice. FACS analysis of CD11c+CD103+ cells in the parent cell population (i.e. identified as non IEC by size and granularity) in ileum LP and MLN of naïve and EAE-affected mice, treated or not with DMF. (B) DMF treatment of EAE-affected mice decreases the percentage of migratory CD11c+CCR7+ cells in ileum LP. FACS analysis of CD11c+CCR7+ cells over parent cells (as above) in ileum LP of naïve and EAE-affected mice, treated or not with DMF. (C) The expression of the CD103 ligand, Cdh1, is increased in IEC of EAE-affected DMF-treated mice. Cdh1 mRNA expression in IEC from naïve and EAE-affected mice treated or not with DMF. (D) The expression of the CCR7 ligand, Ccl19, is decreased in IEC of EAE-affected DMF-treated mice. Ccl19 mRNA expression in IEC from naïve and EAE-affected mice treated or not with DMF. (E) The pattern of Treg cell frequencies of naïve and EAE-affected mice treated or not with DMF parallels that of CD11c+CD103+cells in MLN, but not in LP. FACS analysis of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ cells, within the CD4+ cell population, in ileum LP and in MLN from naïve and EAE-affected mice, treated or not with DMF. (F) DMF treatment does not revert the EAE-induced decrease in Aldh1a2 or increase in Tgfb1 in MLN. Aldh1a2 and Tgfb1 mRNA expression in MLN cells from naïve and EAE-affected mice treated or not with DMF. (G) DMF treatment does not revert the increased Il12 expression induced by EAE in MLN. Il12 mRNA expression in MLN isolated from naïve and EAE-affected mice treated or not with DMF. (H) DMF treatment of EAE-affected mice further decreases Aldh1a2 expression in IEC but does not revert that of Tgfb1. Aldh1a2 and Tgfb1 mRNA expression in IEC isolated from naïve and EAE-affected mice treated or not with DMF. Average clinical scores of mice at the time of the analysis: WT-EAE-affected mice: 3 ± 0.17; WT-EAE-affected mice treated with DMF: 2.75 ± 0.11. Real time PCR data are presented as fold induction of gene expression in cells from EAE-affected mice (treated or not with DMF) over cells from naïve mice. FACS and PCR results are shown as mean ± SEM of at least N = 3 experiments, with at least N = 5 mice per group per experiment. *P < 0.05 and ** P < 0.01.