**4. Materials and Methods**

#### *4.1. Mice*

We used 4–5 months old [39] female Nkx2-3-deficient (Nkx2-3−/−) [29] and BALB/c mice. Animals were kept and bred in the transgenic mouse facility of the Department of Immunology and Biotechnology under conventional conditions at 24 ± 2 ◦C with a controlled 12/12 h light/dark cycle. Mice used in experiments were housed in groups of five and they received acidified water and food ad libitum.

All animal experiments were performed in accordance with the regulations set out by the Animal Welfare Committee of the University of Pécs (BA02/2000-48/2017 (06/27/2017)).
