Immune-driven alterations in mucin sulphation is an important mediator of Trichuris muris helminth expulsion
Fig 1
Reduced sulphation in chronic mouse helminth infection.
(A) HID-AB staining of the caecum of mice with acute infection (BALB/c high dose (HD)) and mice susceptible to chronic infection (AKR HD and BALB/c low dose (LD)) were used to differentiate between sulphomucins (black staining) and sialomucins (blue staining) during T. muris infection. Helminths are highlighted by black arrows. Representative images from n = 5–6 mice per group. Scale bar = 100 μm. (B) Enumeration of the percentage of crypts containing sialomucins during the course of infection. Crypts from BALB/c mice with HD infection were occupied by sulphated mucins at all times. (C) qRT-PCR was used to determine the mRNA levels of Muc2 in BALB/c mice with high and low dose infection and AKR mice with high dose infection. Results from n = 5–6 mice, box plots show median, quartiles and, range. *** = P<0.001. One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-test.