Cytotoxic T lymphocyte granules are secretory lysosomes, containing both perforin and granzymes.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte granules are secretory lysosomes, containing both perforin and granzymes

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) contain granules that are exocytosed during specific interaction with target cells (TC). In this process, the granule contents, including the lethal protein perforin, as well as granzymes, a family of serine esterases, are delivered to the TC. Information regarding the routing of these proteins towards the granule and their exact localization within the granule is ...

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte–induced killing in the absence of granzymes A and B is unique and distinct from both apoptosis and perforin-dependent lysis

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-induced death triggered by the granule exocytosis pathway involves the perforin-dependent delivery of granzymes to the target cell. Gene targeting has shown that perforin is essential for this process; however, CTL deficient in the key granzymes A and B maintain the ability to kill their targets by granule exocytosis. It is not clear how granzyme AB(-/-) CTLs kill t...

Cytotoxic Lymphocyte Functions Granzymes C and/or F Are Important for Granzyme B and the Downstream

Differential expression of granzymes A and B in human cytotoxic lymphocyte subsets and T regulatory cells.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells use the perforin/granzyme pathway as a major mechanism to kill pathogen-containing cells and tumor cells.(1,2) Dysregulation of this pathway results in several human diseases, such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Here we characterize the single-cell expression pattern of granzymes A and B in human lymphocytes using a flow cytom...

Essential for Perforin-Mediated Tumor Cutting Edge: Granzymes A and B Are Not