Balb cann

BALB/cAnN and C57Bl/6N mice were purchased from Charles River, Sulzfeld, Germany. IL4^−/−[29] (link), IFNγ^−/−[30] (link) and IL12p40^−/−[31] (link) and ROSA26 [32] (link) mice were obtained from the Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA. Tlr4-deficient C57Bl/10ScCR mice were a kind gift of Drs. M. Freudenberg and C. Galanos, Freiburg, Germany [33] (link). Colonies of these strains were maintained at the local animal facility under specific pathogen-free conditions [34] (link). Stable groups of 4 to 6 females per cage were used between 6 to 10 weeks (wild types) or 6 to 16 weeks of age (transgenics) at the start of experiments. Animals were kept in individually ventilated cages (Type II long, Tecniplast, Germany) at 65 air changes per hour maintaining positive cage pressure, with access to sterilized chow and autoclaved water ad libitum. Fresh cages with woodchip bedding and paper-based nesting material, all autoclaved, were provided weekly. Animal rooms were kept at 20–22°C and 45–65% relative humidity with automated light/dark periods of 12/12 hrs. Animals are daily inspected for any signs of discomfort.