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killer T cell

American  

noun

  1. a killer cell that destroys target cells only when specifically activated by helper T cells.


killer T cell Scientific  
/ kĭlər /
  1. A large differentiated T cell that functions in cell-mediated immunity by attacking and lysing target cells that have specific surface antigens.

  2. Also called cytotoxic T cell killer cell


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

A component of the chemotherapy, cyclophosphamide, also suppresses regulatory T cells, which inhibit killer T cell responses.

From Science Daily Sep. 21, 2023

According to Kaech, the researchers hope to expand their understanding of the exhausted killer T cell environment to learn more about why stress makes us sicker.

From Science Daily Sep. 20, 2023

Now the bispecific antibody grabs a killer T cell that has a CD3 receptor and, with its second arm, finds a recently activated cell that has HIV proteins on its surface.

From Science Magazine Oct. 20, 2015

Bringing the killer T cell in close proximity to the infected cell effectively stuffs the prey into the lion’s mouth.

From Science Magazine Oct. 20, 2015

For many viral infections, the most important response is the killer T cell.

From Time Magazine Archive

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