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Similarities Differences Between NK Cells and Cytotoxic T Cells

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What are the similarities and differences between NK cells and cytotoxic T cells in their response to tumor cells?

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This solution details the similarities and differences in the ways in which NK cells and CD8 T cells recognize and respond to tumor cells.

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NK cells and CTLs both recognize cell surface molecules on tumor cells, enabling them to kill them using common mechanisms such as perforin and granzymes to damage the tumor cell membrane and induce apoptosis. Both cell types proliferate rapidly upon recognition of tumor cells, although typically NK cells peak in number earlier than CTLs during an immune response. After the successful clearance of a tumor, a small number of CTLs would persist as memory cells, which can then respond faster and in ...

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