Cellular cytotoxicity, the ability to kill other cells, is an important effector mechanism of the
immune system to combat viral infections and cancer. Cytotoxic T cells and natural killer …

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 …

Cysteine cathepsin protease activity is frequently dysregulated in the context of neoplastic
transformation. Increased activity and aberrant localization of proteases within the tumour …

Options for targeted therapy of T-cell malignancies remain scarce. Recent clinical trials
demonstrated that chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) can effectively redirect T lymphocytes …

Perforin/granzyme-induced apoptosis is the main pathway used by cytotoxic lymphocytes to
eliminate virus-infected or transformed cells. Studies in gene-disrupted mice indicate that …

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life-threatening
adverse drug reactions characterized by massive epidermal necrosis, in which the specific …

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 …

Granule exocytosis is the main pathway for the immune elimination of virus-infected cells
and tumour cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells. After target-cell …

The granule exocytosis pathway of cytotoxic lymphocytes is crucial for immune surveillance
and homeostasis. The trafficking of granule components, including the membrane-disruptive …

To efficiently deliver therapeutics into cancer cells, a number of strategies have been
recently investigated. The toxicity associated with the administration of chemotherapeutic …