Figure 1
From: Limited role for ASC and NLRP3 during in vivo Salmonella Typhimurium infection
Asc−/−and Nlrp3−/−mice are equally susceptible to S. Typhimurium infection when compared to WT. WT (white), Asc−/− (grey) and Nlrp3−/− (black) mice were orally infected with S. Typhimurium (106) after a 12 h starvation period (typhoid model). Compared to WT mice, Asc−/−(A) mice show completely abolished IL-18 levels in plasma measured 2 and 5 days after infection, while Nlrp3−/−(E) mice have similar IL-18 concentrations. In the bar charts, the mean and SEM is shown, dashed lines represent the detection limit of the ELISA. Equal bacterial titers were seen in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN; B, F), liver (C, G), and blood (D, H) at all time points in both the Asc−/−(B-D) and Nlrp3−/−(F-H) mice compared to WT mice. Median values (straight lines) and the limit of detection (dashed lines) are shown. Graphs depict 8–12 mice per genotype and per time-point. NB. Experiments at day 5 were performed with all three genotypes simultaneously; for reasons of clarity WT results are used in both Asc- and Nlrp3 graphs. Statistical significance was determined using the unpaired Mann- Whitney U test. **, p < 0.01, ***, p < 0.001.