Prolonged survival of rat liver allografts with CrmA gene transfer

Abstract

HYPERIMMUNE response via Fas/Fas-ligand and perforin/granzyme pathways is considered to play a critical roll in the pathogenesis of cell-mediated cytotoxicity concerning allograft rejection. The cytokine response modifier A (CrmA), a gene product of cowpox virus and belonging to a protease inhibitor of the serpin family, inhibits the activation of some caspases and granzyme B, suggesting blockage of the above-mentioned apoptotic programs. 1‐3 The present study aimed to investigate whether gene transduction with CrmA would prolong rat liver allograft survival due to its cytoprotective effects.