Granzyme M has a critical role in providing innate immune protection in ulcerative colitis.

ABSTRACT: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an immunoregulatory disorder, associated with a chronic and inappropriate mucosal immune response to commensal bacteria, underlying disease states such as ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) in humans. Granzyme M (GrzM) is a serine protease expressed by cytotoxic lymphocytes, in particular natural killer (NK) cells. Granzymes are thought to be involved in triggering cell death in eukaryotic target cells; however, some evidence supports their role in inflammation. The role of GrzM in the innate immune response to mucosal inflammation has never been examined. Here, we discover that patients with UC, unlike patients with CD, display high levels of GrzM mRNA expression in the inflamed colon. By taking advantage of well-established models of expe

SUBMITTER: Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4973354 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature