Chronic Treg reduction exacerbates bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis. Chronic Treg reduction exacerbates bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis. αSMA-RFP: FoxP3DTR+/− mice (heterozygous for the FoxP3DTR transgene) were treated with either bleomycin only or with bleomycin and DT for 14 days. αSMA-RFP mice treated with DT were used as baseline controls. (A) Representative αSMA staining of dorsal skin on day 14 and histologic quantification of αSMA staining intensity from control (αSMA-RFP + DT, black circles), αSMA-RFP: FoxP3DTR+/− treated with bleomycin (B) alone (gray circles), and αSMA-RFP: FoxP3DTR+/− treated with bleomycin and DT (red circles). (B) Representative Masson’s trichrome staining of dorsal skin on day 14 and histologic quantification of collagen density. (C) Representative H&E stain on day 14 and quantification of dermal thickness. (D) Representative histograms and flow cytometric quantification of αSMA expression on dermal fibroblasts after Treg reduction. Data are representative of three independent experiments, n = 3 to 5 per group, per experiment. Data are mean ± SEM. One-way ANOVA, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001. Scale bars, 100 μm. Lokesh A. Kalekar et al. Sci. Immunol. 2019;4:eaaw2910 Copyright © 2019 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works