Organ Transplantation Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Organ Transplantation, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery.

The granzyme B inhibitor SERPINB9 (protease inhibitor 9) circulates in blood and increases on primary cytomegalovirus infection after renal transplantation.

Rowshani AT, Strik MC, Molenaar R, Yong SL, Wolbink AM, Bemelman FJ, Hack CE, Ten Berge IJ

Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. t.rowshani@amc.uva.nl

SERPINB9 is the only known human intracellular inhibitor of granzyme B (GrB), the effector molecule in immunity against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and in renal allograft rejection. Therefore, using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, we addressed the presence of circulating SERPINB9 during primary CMV infection, subclinical rejection, acute rejection, and uncomplicated posttransplantation course. Soluble (s) SERPINB9 circulates in blood and increases on primary CMV infection. This increase was significantly higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic patients. In contrast, sSERPINB9 levels did not change in response to subclinical or acute rejection. We demonstrated the presence of circulating sSERPINB9/sGrB complexes, which suggests that SERPINB9 has extracellular functions as well.

Published 3 November 2005 in J Infect Dis, 192(11): 1908-11.
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