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Addressing the mysteries of perforin function
Author(s) -
Voskoboinik Ilia,
Trapani Joseph A
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1711.2005.01409.x
Subject(s) - perforin , granzyme , proteases , cytolysis , biology , ctl* , microbiology and biotechnology , virology , computational biology , immunology , immune system , genetics , cytotoxic t cell , biochemistry , cd8 , in vitro , enzyme
Perforin is a cytolytic protein stored in secretory granules of CTL and NK cells. It synergizes with proapoptotic serine proteases, granzymes, to deliver the lethal hit to virus‐infected or transformed target cells. The mechanism of perforin action has not been described beyond its original characterization in the 1980s, and its role in human disease has remained elusive. This article addresses recent key advances in genetic, clinical and biochemical studies that have reignited the current interest in perforin biology.