CTLs kill cancer cells primarily through two mechanisms: the release of cytotoxic granules and the expression of death-inducing ligands.
Cytotoxic Granules: These granules contain perforin and granzymes. Perforin forms pores in the target cell membrane, allowing granzymes to enter the cell and induce apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Death-Inducing Ligands: CTLs express ligands such as FasL that bind to Fas receptors on the target cell, triggering apoptosis through the extrinsic pathway.
