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Updated: Aug 25, 2026

A Colorimetric Assay that Specifically Measures Granzyme B Proteolytic Activity: Hydrolysis of Boc-Ala-Ala-Asp-S-Bzl
Published on: November 28, 2014
Granzyme A secretion by normal activated Lyt-2+ and L3T4+ T cells in response to antigenic stimulation
Granzyme A is a serine esterase initially isolated from cytoplasmic granules of cytolytic T cell lines (Masson, D. et al., EMBO J. 1986. 5: 1595). Among normal T lymphocytes activated by allogeneic stimulation it is found in both Lyt-2+ and L3T4+ subsets in comparable amounts. Here we show that normal alloantigen-activated T cells secrete the enzyme specifically when mixed with appropriate stimulator cells. Specific enzyme release is dependent on external calcium and removal of calcium blocks further secretion within a few minutes. Both Lyt-2+ and L3T4+ cells specifically secrete the enzyme with similar rates, and anti-L3T4 and anti-Lyt-2 antibodies block secretion by the responder cells expressing these markers. Anti-LFA-1 antibodies, on the other hand, block secretion by either subset.
Granzyme A is a serine esterase initially isolated from cytoplasmic granules of cytolytic T cell lines (Masson, D. et al., EMBO J. 1986. 5: 1595). Among normal T lymphocytes activated by allogeneic stimulation it is found in both Lyt-2+ and L3T4+ subsets in comparable amounts. Here we show that normal alloantigen-activated T cells secrete the enzyme specifically when mixed with appropriate stimulator cells. Specific enzyme release is dependent on external calcium and removal of calcium blocks further secretion within a few minutes. Both Lyt-2+ and L3T4+ cells specifically secrete the enzyme with similar rates, and anti-L3T4 and anti-Lyt-2 antibodies block secretion by the responder cells expressing these markers. Anti-LFA-1 antibodies, on the other hand, block secretion by either subset.
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