Serglycin: A Structural and Functional Chameleon with Wide Impact on Immune Cells

Among the different proteoglycans expressed by mammals, serglycin is in most immune cells the dominating species. A unique property of serglycin is its ability to adopt highly divergent structures, because of glycosylation with variable types of glycosaminoglycans when expressed by different cell types. Recent studies of serglycin-deficient animals have revealed crucial functions for serglycin in a diverse array of immunological processes. However, its exact function varies to a large extent depending on the cellular context of serglycin expression. Based on these findings, serglycin is emerging as a structural and functional chameleon, with radically different properties depending on its exact cellular and immunological context. The Journal of Immunology, 2011, 187: 4927-4933.