A defining property of cytotoxic lymphocytes is their expression and regulated secretion of
potent toxins, including the pore-forming protein perforin and serine protease granzymes …

The granzymes are cell death–inducing enzymes, stored in the cytotoxic granules of
cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells, that are released during granule exocytosis …

INTRODUCTION In cellular immunity, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK)
cells use perforin to deliver serine protease granzymes into target cells to kill them …

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes, differentiated CD8+ T cells, use multiple mechanisms to mediate
their function, including release of granules containing perforin and granzymes at target …

Natural killer (NK) cells form a subset of lymphocytes that play a key role in immuno-
surveillance and host defense against cancer and viral infections. They recognize stressed …

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte and natural killer cell-initiated cell death is one of the primary
mechanisms used by higher organisms to eliminate viruses and transformed cells. In this …

Serine proteases form a large family of protein-cleaving enzymes that play an essential role
in processes like blood coagulation, apoptosis and inflammation. Immune cells express a …

Protein folding quality control does not occur randomly in cells, but requires the action of
specialized molecular chaperones compartmentalized in subcellular microenvironments …

Killer lymphocytes release perforin and granzymes from cytotoxic granules into the
immunological synapse to destroy target cells as a critical mechanism in the defense against …

Pyroptosis is a programmed necrotic cell death mediated by pore-forming Gasdermin
(GSDM) proteins. After being unleashed from the C-terminal auto-inhibitory domains by …