Journal
CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 596-606Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2010.5
Keywords
granzymes; inflammation; COPD; aging; aneurysm; extracellular matrix
Categories
Funding
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR)/British Columbia Transplant Research Foundation
- Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSFC)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
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Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of age-related cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Granzymes are a family of serine proteases that have been traditionally viewed as initiators of immune-mediated cell death. However, recent findings suggest that the pathophysiological role of granzymes is complex. Emerging functions for granzymes in extracellular matrix degradation, autoimmunity, and inflammation suggests a multifactorial mechanism by which these enzymes are capable of mediating tissue damage. Recent discoveries showing that granzymes can be produced and secreted by nonimmune cells during disease provide an additional layer of intricacy. This review examines the emerging biochemical and clinical evidence pertaining to intracellular and/or extracellular granzymes in the pathogenesis of aging and cardiopulmonary diseases. Cell Death and Differentiation (2010) 17, 596-606; doi: 10.1038/cdd.2010.5; published online 5 February 2010
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