Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Diversity of Antigen Receptors01:28

Diversity of Antigen Receptors

Antigen receptors are essential components of the immune system crucial in defending the body against foreign invaders. These receptors are present on the surface of B and T cells, enabling them to recognize antigens and mount an appropriate immune response.
Before encountering any antigen, lymphocytes express these receptors. On B cells, the antigen receptor is a membrane-bound antibody molecule called BCR; on T cells, it is a T cell receptor or TCR. B and T cell receptors are composed of two...
Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
Special Features of Adaptive Immunity01:20

Special Features of Adaptive Immunity

The adaptive immune system, a crucial component of the overall immune response, offers a highly specialized defense against pathogens. It involves specific cell types and features, enabling it to combat infections effectively and efficiently.
The primary cell types involved in adaptive immunity are T cells and B cells. Each type has a unique role in defending the body against pathogens. T cells are responsible for cell-mediated immunity. They identify and eliminate infected cells directly,...
B Cell Activation and Differentiation01:24

B Cell Activation and Differentiation

The adaptive immune response, a sophisticated defense mechanism, relies on the activation and differentiation of B lymphocytes, or B cells. These processes enable our bodies to mount a tailored response against specific pathogens such as bacteria, free virus particles, toxins, and parasites.
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...
Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts01:57

Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts

Groups of proteins may form a complex where each protein in this complex has a different role in the overall execution of the complex’s function. Often some of the proteins in the complex can be replaced by a closely related variant to give a complex that contains many of the same components yet is functionally distinct.
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order to...
Cells of the Innate Immune Response01:28

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Differential perforin sensitivity drives lineage-dependent resistance to CAR T-cell killing in blood cancer cell lines.

Blood advances·2026
Same author

Pharmacological inhibition of perforin dampens CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell-mediated beta cell destruction in autoimmune diabetes in mice.

Diabetologia·2026
Same author

A TAK1 cytokine toxicity checkpoint controls anti-cancer immunity.

Cell reports·2025
Same author

Cytotoxic lymphocyte effector function is unaffected in patients with Gaucher disease.

Frontiers in immunology·2025
Same author

Targeting PTPN2 enhances human CAR T cell efficacy and the development of long-term memory in mouse xenograft models.

Science translational medicine·2025
Same author

A CDK11-dependent RNA polymerase II pause-checkpoint precedes CDK9-mediated transition to transcriptional elongation.

Molecular cell·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Isolation and Activation of Murine Lymphocytes
08:08

Isolation and Activation of Murine Lymphocytes

Published on: October 30, 2016

Proteases in lymphocyte killer function: redundancy, polymorphism and questions remaining.

Vivien R Sutton1, Joseph A Trapani

  • 1Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.

Biological Chemistry
|August 25, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Serine and cysteine proteases are vital for cytotoxic T lymphocyte and natural killer cell functions in fighting pathogens. Their evolution demonstrates redundancy and flexibility, crucial for immune defense against invading microbes.

More Related Videos

Killer Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells (KaAPC) for Efficient In Vitro Depletion of Human Antigen-specific T Cells
08:12

Killer Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells (KaAPC) for Efficient In Vitro Depletion of Human Antigen-specific T Cells

Published on: August 11, 2014

qKAT: Quantitative Semi-automated Typing of Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor Genes
07:58

qKAT: Quantitative Semi-automated Typing of Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor Genes

Published on: March 6, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Isolation and Activation of Murine Lymphocytes
08:08

Isolation and Activation of Murine Lymphocytes

Published on: October 30, 2016

Killer Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells (KaAPC) for Efficient In Vitro Depletion of Human Antigen-specific T Cells
08:12

Killer Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells (KaAPC) for Efficient In Vitro Depletion of Human Antigen-specific T Cells

Published on: August 11, 2014

qKAT: Quantitative Semi-automated Typing of Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor Genes
07:58

qKAT: Quantitative Semi-automated Typing of Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor Genes

Published on: March 6, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Serine and cysteine proteases play critical roles in immune cell lytic functions.
  • Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells utilize proteases for pathogen defense.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the functions of serine and cysteine proteases in CTL and NK cell lytic processes.
  • To contextualize these protease functions within the pathophysiology of pathogen invasion defense.
  • To highlight the evolutionary adaptations of proteases in host-pathogen interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Review and analysis of existing literature on protease functions in cellular immunity.
  • Examination of the pathophysiological roles of proteases in immune defense mechanisms.
  • Comparative analysis of protease repertoires within and across species.

Main Results:

  • Proteases are essential for the cytotoxic and lytic activities of immune cells.
  • The study emphasizes the co-evolutionary relationship between pathogens and host immune systems.
  • Identification of protease redundancy, flexibility, and polymorphism within and between species.

Conclusions:

  • Serine and cysteine proteases are key effectors in cellular immunity against pathogens.
  • Evolutionary pressures have shaped protease systems, leading to diverse and adaptable defense mechanisms.
  • Understanding protease evolution provides insights into host-pathogen dynamics and immune system resilience.