Granzymes are exogenousserineproteases that are released by cytoplasmic granules within cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells. Their purpose is to induce apoptosis within virus-infected cells, thus destroying them. Exogenous (or exogeneous) (from the Greek words exo and gen, meaning outside and production) refers to an action or object coming from outside a system. ... Serine is one of the 20 natural amino acids. ... Proteases (proteinases, peptidases or proteolytic enzymes) are enzymes that break peptide bonds between amino acids of proteins. ... A cytotoxic (or TC) T cell is a T cell (a type of white blood cell) which has on its surface antigen receptors that can bind to fragments of antigens displayed by the Class I MHC molecules of virus (or other intracellular pathogen) infected somatic cells and tumor cells. ... Natural killer cells (also known as NK cells, K cells, and killer cells) are a type of lymphocyte (a white blood cell) and a component of innate immune defense. ... Apoptosis In biology, apoptosis (from the Greek words apo = from and ptosis = falling, commonly pronounced ap-a-tow-sis[1]) is one of the main types of programmed cell death (PCD). ... The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) A virus is a microscopic parasite that infects cells in biological organisms. ...
Cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells release a protein called perforin which attacks the target cells. Perforin creates pores within the cells, through which the granzymes can enter, inducing apoptosis. They do so by cleaving caspases, which in turn activate caspase activated DNase. This enzyme degrades DNA, thus inducing apoptotic cascades. Perforin is a cytolytic protein found in the granules of CD8 T-cells and NK cells. ... Caspases are a group of cysteine proteases, enzymes with a crucial cysteine residue that can cleave other proteins, after an aspartic acid residue, a specificity which is unusual among proteases. ...
Granzyme secretion can be detected and measured using the ELISPOT and ELISA techniques. abc-sequence ELISPOT is an immunological assay based on ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay). ... The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA or EIA for short) is a biochemical technique used in immunology to detect the presence of an antibody or an antigen in a sample. ...
Using granzyme B-deficient mice obtained by gene targeting, we previously demonstrated that granzyme B is required for the rapid induction of apoptotic target cell death by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs); however, CTLs are also equipped with additional effector mechanisms.
Granzyme B and perforin mutations were identified by Southern blot analysis of mouse tail DNA, as described previously.
CTLs to examine the contribution of granzyme B to the perforin/granzyme pathway (Fig 5).
Human granzyme B mediates cartilage proteoglycan degradation and is expressed at the invasive front of the synovium in rheumatoid arthritis -- Ronday et al.
The levels of soluble granzyme A and B are elevated in plasma and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Expression of granzymes A and B in synovial tissue from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.