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Peptide Synthesis> | For 51Cr release assays51 (Fig. 1a, Supplementary Figs. 1a, 2b, c), 2 × 106 target cells were incubated with 200 µCi of 51Cr (sodium chromate) in 200 µL of complete DMEM media for 1 h at 37 °C. Where required for antigendependent CTL killing assay (Supplementary Fig. 3c), 1 µM SIINFEKL peptide (GenScript, New Jersey, USA) was included in this incubation step. | Get A Quote |
Killer T cells (cytotoxic T lymphocytes, CTLs) maintain immune homoeostasis by eliminating virus-infected and cancerous cells. CTLs achieve this by forming an immunological synapse with their targets and secreting a pore-forming protein (perforin) and pro-apoptotic serine proteases (granzymes) into the synaptic cleft. Although the CTL and the target cell are both exposed to perforin within the synapse, only the target cell membrane is disrupted, while the CTL is invariably spared. How CTLs escape unscathed remains a mystery. Here, we report that CTLs achieve this via two protective properties of their plasma membrane within the synapse: high lipid order repels perforin and, in addition, exposed phosphatidylseri... More