CTL and NK cells share the remarkable ability to recognize specific infected target cells. They are thought to protect their host by inducing apoptosis of cells that bear on their surface 'nonself' antigens, usually peptides or proteins resulting from infection by intracellular pathogens. The protein encoded by this gene is crucial for the rapid induction of target cell apoptosis by CTL in cell-mediated immune response.[6]
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Dahl CA, Bach FH, Chan W, Huebner K, Russo G, Croce CM, Herfurth T, Cairns JS (May 1990). "Isolation of a cDNA clone encoding a novel form of granzyme B from human NK cells and mapping to chromosome 14". Hum Genet. 84 (5): 465–70. doi:10.1007/bf00195821. PMID2323780. S2CID22245529.
Trapani JA (1996). "Target cell apoptosis induced by cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells involves synergy between the pore-forming protein, perforin, and the serine protease, granzyme B.". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine. 25 (6): 793–9. doi:10.1111/j.1445-5994.1995.tb02883.x. PMID8770355.
