Generation of the Fli-1 allele (Fli-1∆CTA) that encodes the truncated Fli-1 protein (amino acids 1–384) mice has been described in detail.[24] The mice were backcrossed with C57BL/6 (B6) mice for at least eight generations and then used in this BAY 80-6946 research buy study. All mice were maintained in specific-pathogen-free animal facilities of the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and all animal procedures were approved by the institutional animal care and use committee. Murine endothelial cell line MS1 was purchased from the American Type Culture

Collection (ATCC, Bethesda, MD) and maintained with Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium with 5% fetal bovine serum. Four groups of 8- to 12-week-old B6 mice (five mice/group) were irradiated (600 Gy), as previously described.[22] After final irradiation,

each mouse in the four groups received 1 million bone marrow (BM) cells by tail vein injection. The BM cells were collected from the femurs of donor mice at the age of 8–12 weeks. In group 1, wild-type B6 mice received BM cells from Fli-1∆CTA/∆CTA B6 donor mice. In group 2, Fli-1∆CTA/∆CTA mice received GSK126 BM cells from wild-type B6 donor mice. In group 3, wild-type B6 mice received BM cells from wild-type B6 donor mice. In group 4, Fli-1∆CTA/∆CTA mice received BM cells from Fli-1∆CTA/∆CTA B6 donor mice; another two groups of wild-type B6 mice and Fli-1∆CTA/∆CTA B6 mice were used as controls without irradiation and Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II BM transplantation. All irradiated mice were treated with 1 mg/ml neomycin sulphate for 3 weeks while recovering from bone marrow transplantation. Peripheral blood cells were collected

from the four groups and wild-type B6 mice and Fli-1∆CTA/∆CTA B6 mice 8 weeks after bone marrow transplantation. Single-cell suspensions were prepared from spleen, bone marrow or peripheral blood from the wild-type B6 mice and Fli-1∆CTA/∆CTA mice at the age of 8–12 weeks. The cells were stained with fluorochrome-conjugated or biotin-conjugated antibodies and analysed on a FACSCalibur flow cytometer. Data were analysed using Cellquest (BD Immunocytometry System, San Jose, CA) software. The antibodies were purchased from BD Pharmingen (San Diego, CA) or eBioscience (San Diego, CA). The following specific antibodies were used to characterize cell subsets: HSCs (Sca-1+ c-kit+ CD3e− CD4− CD8a− CD11b− CD11c− CD19− B220− NK1.1− Ter119−); common DC precursors (Sca-1− c-kitlow CD115+ Flt3+ CD3e− CD4−CD8a− CD11b− CD11c− CD19− B220− NK1·1− Ter119−); macrophage/DC progenitors (Sca-1– c-kithigh CD115+ Flt3+ CD3e− CD4− CD8a− CD11b− CD11c− CD19− B220− NK1.1− Ter119−); pre-cDC (I-Ab−CD11cint Flt3+ SIRPαint); pDCs (I-Ab− CD11cint B220+CD3e− CD19− NK1·1− Ter119−); CD8+ cDCs (I-Ab+ CD11c+ CD4− CD8a+); CD4+ cDCs (I-Ab+ CD11c+CD4+ CD8a−); double-negative DCs (I-Ab+ CD11c+CD4− CD8a−); macrophages (CD11b+ CD11clow F4/80+); monocytes (CD11b+ CD11c− CD115+).