摘要
A very recent study by Bálint et al.published in Science deciphered in detail how cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CTLs)kill target cells.1 They found that perforin and pellet enzyme—the cytotoxic substances in CTLs—combined and assembled into supramolecular attack particles(SMAPs).The SMAPs were subsequently released toward the cell membrane of the target cell.The shell of SMAP was rich in glycoproteins that enabled its stability to maintain the cell-killing activity for hours,in which the thrombospondin-1(TSP-1)was critical(Fig.1).
