Fig. 2

Irf7^−/− mice have higher expression levels of inflammatory cytokines than WT mice in DSS-induced colitis. WT and Irf7^−/− mice were administered 3% DSS, and on days 0 and 8, sera and colons were collected. The expression of colonic inflammatory cytokines at the gene and protein levels was quantified using RT-qPCR and ELISA, respectively, while the protein levels of serum inflammatory cytokines were measured using ELISA. Specifically, the colonic gene expression of (A) Il6, B Tnf, and C Il1b, serum protein levels of D IL-6, E TNF-ɑ, and F IL-1β, and colonic protein levels of G IL-6, H TNF-ɑ, and I IL-1β were assessed. The sample sizes for each group at each time point were as follows: D0: WT (n = 4), Irf7^−/− (n = 4) and D8: WT (n = 5), Irf7^−/− (n = 5). The data are expressed as the mean ± s.e.m. NS, not significant, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001. Two-way ANOVA with Holm-Sidak's multiple comparisons test (A-I)