Fig. 4

Fgl2 knockout inhibits hepatoma growth and remodels the tumor microenvironment of an orthotopically transplanted HCC model. a BNL cells (1 × 10⁶) were implanted into the left lateral liver lobes of Fgl2^−/− (n = 15) or WT (n = 15) BALB/c mice, and survival curves were generated. Livers were separated at 14-days post-implantation, and animal-survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. ***P < 0.001 (log-rank test) as compared with the negative control group. b Cytokines in liver homogenate were measured by ELISA or CBA. c CD4⁺ and d CD8⁺ T cells and f DCs in tumor and paracancerous tissue were analyzed by flow cytometry. e CD8⁺ T cells (1 × 10⁵) from orthotopically transplanted hepatomas were isolated by magnet microbeads and incubated with 1 × 10⁴ BNL cells for 4 days in 96-well round-bottomed plates. CD8⁺ T cells were mixed with BNL cells at a ratio of 10:1 for 12 h before measuring the death percentage of BNL cells. Data represent the mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 (Mann–Whitney U test) as compared with the negative control