CD8+ 细胞毒性T淋巴细胞（CTLs）在针对病毒感染和癌细胞方面发挥着至关重要的作用。尽管CD4+ T淋巴细胞、自然杀伤（NK）细胞以及嵌合抗原受体（CAR-T）细胞等其他细胞毒性淋巴细胞也能识别并摧毁异常细胞，但根据现有的实验数据，这些细胞似乎在效力上明显较弱。在这里，我仔细考虑了调控颗粒介导的CD8+ T细胞溶解反应的敏感性和动力学的分子机制。我认为，细胞表面的MHC-I分子和T细胞受体（TCR）的聚集，以及CD8共受体的贡献，是驱动特别强效细胞溶解反应的主要因素。我还主张具有已知特异性的CD8+ T细胞及修饰的TCR-T细胞可能是治疗患有病毒感染或癌症的患者中最有效的细胞溶解效应细胞之一。版权所有 © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. 保留所有权利。

CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play a crucial role in targeting virus-infected and cancer cells. Although other cytotoxic lymphocytes such as CD4+ T and natural killer (NK) cells, as well as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, can also identify and destroy aberrant cells, they seem to be significantly less potent based on available experimental data. Here, I contemplate the molecular mechanisms controlling the sensitivity and kinetics of granule-mediated CD8+ T cell cytolytic responses. I posit that the clustering of MHC-I molecules and T cell receptors (TCRs) on the cell surface, as well as the contribution of the CD8 co-receptor, are major factors driving exceptionally potent cytolytic responses. I also contend that CD8+ T cells with known specificity and engineered TCR-T cells might be among the most efficient cytolytic effectors for treating patients suffering from viral infections or cancer.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.