CASP9 and infection: Infection does not affect the expression of pro-apoptotic marker genes (Fig. 3d, e), with all neutrophils being characterized by low expression of genes encoding various caspases (Casp2, Casp3, Casp7, Casp8, Casp9, Casp12) and pro-apoptotic regulators such as Bax, Bad, Bbc3, Bcl2l11, Pidd1, and Bak1. These data were confirmed by flow cytometry, where during infection, the proportion of caspase-3 positive spleen neutrophils did not increase (Fig. 3f).