Granzymes: The Molecular Executors of Immune-Mediated Cytotoxicity

Overview

Journal Int J Mol Sci

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Biochemistry
Chemistry
Molecular Biology

Date 2022 Feb 15

PMID 35163755

Authors

Zachary L Z Hay

Jill E Slansky

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes, differentiated CD8+ T cells, use multiple mechanisms to mediate their function, including release of granules containing perforin and granzymes at target cells. Granzymes are a family of cytotoxic proteases that each act on unique sets of biological substrates within target cells, usually to induce cell death. Granzymes are differentially expressed within T cells, depending on their environment and activation state, making the granzyme cytotoxic pathway dynamic and responsive to individual circumstances. In this review, we describe what is currently known about granzyme structure, processing, and granzyme-induced cell death in the context of cancer and in some other inflammatory diseases.

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