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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

A Colorimetric Assay that Specifically Measures Granzyme B Proteolytic Activity: Hydrolysis of Boc-Ala-Ala-Asp-S-Bzl
Published on: November 28, 2014
Functional significance of the perforin/granzyme cell death pathway
Joseph A Trapani1, Mark J Smyth
1Cancer Immunology Laboratory, Trescowthick Research Laboratories, Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Locked Bag 1, A'Beckett Street, Melbourne 8006, Australia. j.trapani@pmci.unimelb.edu.au
Abstract:
Perforin/granzyme-induced apoptosis is the main pathway used by cytotoxic lymphocytes to eliminate virus-infected or transformed cells. Studies in gene-disrupted mice indicate that perforin is vital for cytotoxic effector function; it has an indispensable, but undefined, role in granzyme-mediated apoptosis. Despite its vital importance, the molecular and cellular functions of perforin and the basis of perforin and granzyme synergy remain poorly understood. The purpose of this review is to evaluate critically recent findings on cytotoxic granule-mediated cell death and to assess the functional significance of postulated cell-death pathways in appropriate pathophysiological contexts, including virus infection and susceptibility to experimental or spontaneous tumorigenesis.
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