Cell Death Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Insights into the Role of Granulysin

During mammal pregnancy, a sensitive balance between hormones, cytokines, humoral factors, and local cellular interactions must be established. Cytotoxic cells infiltrating the decidua are heavily equipped with cytolytic molecules, in particular perforin and granulysin. Granulysin is especially abun...

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Main Authors: Danijela Veljkovic Vujaklija, Sonja Sucic, Tamara Gulic, Marin Dominovic, Daniel Rukavina
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Clinical and Developmental Immunology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/180272
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author Danijela Veljkovic Vujaklija
Sonja Sucic
Tamara Gulic
Marin Dominovic
Daniel Rukavina
author_facet Danijela Veljkovic Vujaklija
Sonja Sucic
Tamara Gulic
Marin Dominovic
Daniel Rukavina
author_sort Danijela Veljkovic Vujaklija
collection DOAJ
description During mammal pregnancy, a sensitive balance between hormones, cytokines, humoral factors, and local cellular interactions must be established. Cytotoxic cells infiltrating the decidua are heavily equipped with cytolytic molecules, in particular perforin and granulysin. Granulysin is especially abundant in NK cells which are able to spontaneously secrete high quantities of granulysin. Besides being a potent bactericidal and tumoricidal molecule, granulysin is also found to be a chemoattractant and a proinflammatory molecule. The precise role(s) of granulysin at the maternal-fetal interface has not been elucidated yet. It is possible that it behaves as a double-edged sword simultaneously acting as an immunomodulatory and a host defense molecule protecting both the mother and the fetus from a wide spectrum of pathogens, and on the other hand, in case of an NK cell activation, acting as an effector molecule causing the apoptosis of semiallograft trophoblast cells and consequently leading to various pregnancy disorders or pregnancy loss.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1740-2522
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language English
publishDate 2012-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Clinical and Developmental Immunology
spelling doaj-art-474e438d2e304136846f65e8016e75562025-08-20T03:36:45ZengWileyClinical and Developmental Immunology1740-25221740-25302012-01-01201210.1155/2012/180272180272Cell Death Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Insights into the Role of GranulysinDanijela Veljkovic Vujaklija0Sonja Sucic1Tamara Gulic2Marin Dominovic3Daniel Rukavina4Department of Physiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, CroatiaDepartment of Physiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, CroatiaDepartment of Physiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, CroatiaDepartment of Physiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, CroatiaDepartment of Physiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, CroatiaDuring mammal pregnancy, a sensitive balance between hormones, cytokines, humoral factors, and local cellular interactions must be established. Cytotoxic cells infiltrating the decidua are heavily equipped with cytolytic molecules, in particular perforin and granulysin. Granulysin is especially abundant in NK cells which are able to spontaneously secrete high quantities of granulysin. Besides being a potent bactericidal and tumoricidal molecule, granulysin is also found to be a chemoattractant and a proinflammatory molecule. The precise role(s) of granulysin at the maternal-fetal interface has not been elucidated yet. It is possible that it behaves as a double-edged sword simultaneously acting as an immunomodulatory and a host defense molecule protecting both the mother and the fetus from a wide spectrum of pathogens, and on the other hand, in case of an NK cell activation, acting as an effector molecule causing the apoptosis of semiallograft trophoblast cells and consequently leading to various pregnancy disorders or pregnancy loss.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/180272
spellingShingle Danijela Veljkovic Vujaklija
Sonja Sucic
Tamara Gulic
Marin Dominovic
Daniel Rukavina
Cell Death Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Insights into the Role of Granulysin
Clinical and Developmental Immunology
title Cell Death Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Insights into the Role of Granulysin
title_full Cell Death Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Insights into the Role of Granulysin
title_fullStr Cell Death Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Insights into the Role of Granulysin
title_full_unstemmed Cell Death Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Insights into the Role of Granulysin
title_short Cell Death Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Insights into the Role of Granulysin
title_sort cell death mechanisms at the maternal fetal interface insights into the role of granulysin
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/180272
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