{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "6afa0c9b50154967ac3ec65a6b3efa9b", "timestamp": "2026-09-01T08:31:45.528Z", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/6afa0c9b50154967ac3ec65a6b3efa9b.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/6afa0c9b50154967ac3ec65a6b3efa9b"}}, "title": "Serglycin-Deficiency Causes Reduced Weight Gain and Changed Intestinal Cytokine Responses in Mice Infected With Giardia intestinalis.", "authors": [{"family": "Li", "given": "Zhiqiang", "initials": "Z"}, {"family": "Peirasmaki", "given": "Dimitra", "initials": "D"}, {"family": "Sv\u00e4rd", "given": "Staffan", "initials": "S"}, {"family": "\u00c5brink", "given": "Magnus", "initials": "M"}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2021-07-08", "journal": {"title": "Front Immunol", "issn": "1664-3224", "volume": "12", "pages": "677722", "issn-l": "1664-3224"}, "abstract": "The proteoglycan serglycin (SG) is expressed by different innate and adaptive immune cells, e.g. mast cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, where SG contributes to correct granule storage and extracellular activity of inflammatory mediators. Here the serglycin-deficient (SG-/-) mouse strain was used to investigate the impact of SG on intestinal immune responses during infection with the non-invasive protozoan parasite Giardia intestinalis. Young (\u224811 weeks old) oral gavage-infected congenic SG-/- mice showed reduced weight gain as compared with the infected SG+/+ littermate mice and the PBS-challenged SG-/- and SG+/+ littermate mice. The infection caused no major morphological changes in the small intestine. However, a SG-independent increased goblet cell and granulocyte cell count was observed, which did not correlate with an increased myeloperoxidase or neutrophil elastase activity. Furthermore, infected mice showed increased serum IL-6 levels, with significantly reduced serum IL-6 levels in infected SG-deficient mice and decreased intestinal expression levels of IL-6 in the infected SG-deficient mice. In infected mice the qPCR analysis of alarmins, chemokines, cytokines, and nitric oxide synthases (NOS), showed that the SG-deficiency caused reduced intestinal expression levels of TNF-\u03b1 and CXCL2, and increased IFN-\u03b3, CXCL1, and NOS1 levels as compared with SG-competent mice. This study shows that SG plays a regulatory role in intestinal immune responses, reflected by changes in chemokine and cytokine expression levels and a delayed weight gain in young SG-/- mice infected with G. intestinalis.", "doi": "10.3389/fimmu.2021.677722", "pmid": "34335577", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC8316049"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T13:06:26.073Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T13:06:26.085Z"}