title: Do cytotoxic lymphocytes kill via reactive oxygen species?
abstract: A paper by Martinvalet et al. (2005) in this issue of Immunity examines the mechanisms used by granzyme A to kill target cells after its cytoplasmic injection by cytotoxic lymphocytes. They show that this protease induces mitochondrial damage and generation of reactive oxygen species that are necessary for cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Rockville, MD 20855, USA.
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Pierre A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Henkart
mesh_terms: D016923:Cell Death / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D053804:Granzymes; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000473:pathology; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D053804:Granzymes; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases