The Alternative Complement Pathway Seems to be a UVA Sensor that Leads to Systemic Immunosuppression  Michael P.F. Stapelberg, Rohan B.H. Williams, Scott N. Byrne, Gary M. Halliday  Journal of Investigative Dermatology  Volume 129, Issue 11, Pages 2694-2701 (November 2009) DOI: 10.1038/jid.2009.128 Copyright © 2009 The Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 UVA causes immunosuppression at the lower and not higher dose tested in C57BL/6 but not in Balb/c mice. Contact hypersensitivity (CHS) was assessed in (a) C57BL/6 and (b) Balb/c mice by measuring ear swelling 24 hours after challenge, which was 7 days after sensitization on the abdomen. Mice had been irradiated on the dorsal trunk for 3 consecutive days with 1,750 (lower UVA) or 3,500 (higher UVA) mJcm−2 UVA, or with 285mJcm−2 UVB or this UVB dose combined with the higher UVA to produce solar-simulated UV (ssUV). Irritant controls (ear swelling of unsensitized mice) were subtracted from sensitized mice. For each CHS experiment the ear swelling for each mouse that was irradiated with UV was normalized to the mean of the control group that did not receive UV irradiation to remove inter-experimental variation in magnitude of the control response. Each experiment was repeated thrice and normalized values were pooled. The mean and SEM of normalized values are shown. The total number of mice for each group is shown (n). An unpaired student's t-test was used for statistical analysis compared with the unirradiated group. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2009 129, 2694-2701DOI: (10.1038/jid.2009.128) Copyright © 2009 The Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc Terms and Conditions

Figure 2 Confirmation of quantitative gene expression of core enriched and associated genes using real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR. For statistical analysis a Kolmogorov–Smirnoff test first determined that the data obtained from the six biological replicates were normally distributed. An unpaired student's t-test was then used for statistical analysis * P<0.05, ** P<0.01 compared with the unirradiated control mice (0 UV). Bar graphs represent means+SEM of six biological replicates for lower and higher UVA, UVB, and ssUV doses. ALDH2, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 family; ALDH9A1, aldehyde dehydrogenase 9 family, member A1; CCR7, chemokine receptor 7; CFB, complement factor B; PFC, properdin. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2009 129, 2694-2701DOI: (10.1038/jid.2009.128) Copyright © 2009 The Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc Terms and Conditions