title: Review: immunomodulatory activity of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A.
abstract: This mini-review highlights the growing number of indications for the immunological importance of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), which is a remote member of the alpha-macroglobulin plasma protein family. PAPP-A can bind a variety of cytokines and specifically cleave a binding protein for insulin-like growth factors, thereby serving as a modulator of cytokine activity. Important immune functions, such as lymphocyte proliferation response to alloantigens and lectins and expression of HLA-DR molecules are predominantly suppressed in vitro by PAPP-A. It is likely that the immunoregulatory properties of PAPP-A are very similar to that of alpha 2-macroglobulin. The experimental data allows us to suppose that PAPP-A serves to prevent the recognition of the fetus by the maternal immune system and to suppress locally the host's immune response to the tumour.
authors.affiliation: Zonal Perinatal Center, 22 Mettallurgov Av., Novokuznetsk 654007, Russia. zhabin@online.nkz.ru
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Zhabin
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Gorin
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Judin
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D016207:Cytokines; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A