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Increased Granulysin Expression in Peripheral Blood Cells of Patients with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis and Its Clinical Implications

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Abstract

Introduction

Granulysin is a cytotoxic molecule involved in cellular immune reactions.

Materials and methods

The levels of granulysin mRNA in the peripheral blood and serum granulysin of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The expression of granulysin mRNA and serum protein in PBC was increased compared to the controls.

Results

The expression of granulysin mRNA or serum protein showed close associations, respectively, with natural killer cell population in PBC patients. Serum granulysin was down-regulated by steroid and ursodeoxycholic therapy for PBC according to the improvement of severity of PBC. In addition, the expression of serum granulysin were related to serum total bilirubin and Mayo Clinic risk score. The serum granulysin reflected the cellular immune status of patients with PBC, and the expression correlated with the severity of PBC.

Conclusion

Therefore, there is a clinical benefit to monitoring granulysin as a biomarker of the prognosis of patients with PBC.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Alan M Krensky (Stanford University School of Medicine) for giving us the antibodies, and we are also grateful to PEI Gang and KANG Jiuhong (Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences) for technical assistance. This study was supported by grant from National High-tech R & D Program (863 Program; 2006AA02Z496).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Immunology Center of PLA, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Fengyang Road 415, Shanghai, 200003, China

    Cheng Qian, Chuanyong Wu, Tingwang Jiang, Ye Zhou, Mingli Gu, Bo Chen, Anmei Deng & Renqian Zhong

  2. Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China

    Sunxiao Chen & Dingkang Yao

  3. Shanghai Yangsi Hospital, Shanghai, 200126, China

    Jinshan Ke

Authors
  1. Cheng Qian
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  2. Sunxiao Chen
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  3. Dingkang Yao
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  4. Chuanyong Wu
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  5. Tingwang Jiang
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  6. Jinshan Ke
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  7. Ye Zhou
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  8. Mingli Gu
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  9. Bo Chen
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  10. Anmei Deng
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  11. Renqian Zhong
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Cheng Qian, Anmei Deng or Renqian Zhong.

Additional information

Cheng Qian, Sunxiao Chen, and Dingkang Yao contributed equally to this work.

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Qian, C., Chen, S., Yao, D. et al. Increased Granulysin Expression in Peripheral Blood Cells of Patients with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis and Its Clinical Implications. J Clin Immunol 28, 520–527 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-008-9207-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-008-9207-2

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