Effects of Bcl3 gene knockout on composition of spleen immune cells and antitumor ability of mice / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effects of Bcl3 gene knockout on the composition of spleen immune cells and antitumor ability of mice.Methods:Bcl3 gene knockout mice (Bcl3 -/-) were established by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology. Blood routine test and flow cytometry were used to detect the immune cell composition in Bcl3 -/- mice. Lung metastasis models were established by injecting mice with B16F10 melanoma cells. The number of tumor nodules in lung and the survival time of mice were used to assess the antitumor ability of wild-type (WT) and Bcl3 -/- mice. Results:Bcl3 -/- mice were successfully bred to a strain with normal growth rate and normal breeding performance. Furthermore, no embryonic death occurred. Compared with WT mice, Bcl3 -/- mice showed splenomegaly and a significant increase in the number of spleen immune cells ( P<0.05). The counts and percentages of platelets and neutrophils in Bcl3 -/- mice were significantly lower than those in WT mice. The proportion of CD19 + B cells showed no significant change, while the proportions of CD3 + T cells and T cell subsets (CD4 + , CD8 + , Treg) increased significantly ( P<0.05). The proportions of NK cells (NK1.1 + ) and neutrophils (Gr1 + ) decreased ( P<0.05), while no significant change in the proportion of DC (CD11b + ) was observed. There were a large number of tumor nodules formed by melanoma cells in the lung of Bcl3 -/- tumor bearing mice, and their survival time was shortened dramatically. Conclusions:Knockout of Bcl3 gene affected the development, differentiation and function of immune cells, thereby reducing the antitumor ability of mice.