DO11·10 T cells transfected with pLXSN-SOCS3 for DO-SOCS3 T cell were named DS, and DO11·10 T cells transfected with empty pLXSN for DO-pLXSN T cell were named DO. DS and DO cells were added into 96-well plates (at 1·5 × 105/ ml) containing 0·6 µM ovalbumin (OVA) peptide and BALB/c mouse splenic

cells (3 × 105/ ml). Cells were cultured for 3 days at 37°C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2. LDE225 Supernatants were then collected and analysed using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, according to the manufacturer’s instructions (Biosource, Portland, OR, USA). B6 naive CD4+ T cells and spleen cells with IL-2 pre-incubation in 96-well plates at a density of 1 × 106/ml were stimulated for 48 h with 1 × 106 BALB/c spleen cells inactivated by mitomycin at 37°C, 5% CO2. Supernatants were then collected and analysed using the ELISA kit for IL-4 and IFN-γ, according to the manufacturer’s instructions (Biosource). We used female BALB/c recipients and male B6 donors. All recipients received 5 Gy total body irradiation (TBI) (Gammacell 40137 Se STAT inhibitor γ irradiance system; Canada Nordion International Corporation, Canada) before 3 × 107 B6 spleen cells were injected intraperitoneally. The intraperitoneal injection model for donor lymphocytes has been described previously [31,32]. The rate and duration of irradiation were 0·86 Gy/min

and 6 min, respectively. The recipients were divided into four groups: group A (n = 9), 3 × 107 B6 spleen cells transfer; group B (n = 9), 3 × 107 B6 spleen cells transfer with IL-2 pre-incubation; group C (n = 9), 3 × 107 B6 spleen cells transfer stimulated with host allogeneic antigen presented by inactivated BALB/c spleen cells for 72 h before intraperitoneal injection; and group D (n = 9), 3 × 107 B6 spleen cells transfer pre-incubated with IL-2 for 4 h and then stimulated with host allogeneic antigen presented by inactivated BALB/c spleen cells for 72 h before Protein kinase N1 intraperitoneal injection. The four groups

were observed for 60 days. The observation parameters were as follows: 1 Survival time: register the survival times of each group recipient and draw the survival curve. All data were analysed using SPSS version 13·0 software. Descriptive data for the major variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation. One-way analysis of variance (anova) test and independent t-tests were performed to compare group differences. Survival data were analysed using the Kaplan–Meier method of life-table analysis, and statistical analysis was performed with the log-rank test. P-values < 0·05 were considered statistically significant. Although it has been shown that IL-2 can induce high SOCS-3 kit-225 cell line expression [22], no one has detected inducible SOCS-3 expression by IL-2 in allogeneic lymphocytes, which are the effect cells of aGVHD.