Figures 6A-D showed that the proportion of mature DCs (CD11c+CD86+ and CD11c+MHC II+) in ERCs-treated group was remarkably lower than that of untreated group (CD11c+CD86+, P < 0.001; CD11c+MHC II+, P < 0.01). Nevertheless, knockout of CD73 on ERCs significantly increased the proportion of mature DCs compared to that of ERCs-treated group (CD11c+CD86+, P<0.05; CD11c+MHC II+, P<0.05). Furthermore, immunohistochemistry of colonic tissue stained with the marker CD11c showed that CD73 expressed on ERCs decreased intra-colon infiltration of DCs in DSS-induced colitis mice (Figures 6E, F, P<0.0001). This evidence concerns the gene ITGAX and colitis.