KILLER T CELL

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does killer T cell mean? 

• KILLER T CELL (noun)
  The noun KILLER T CELL has 1 sense:

1. T cell with CD8 receptor that recognizes antigens on the surface of a virus-infected cell and binds to the infected cell and kill it

  Familiarity information: KILLER T CELL used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• KILLER T CELL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

T cell with CD8 receptor that recognizes antigens on the surface of a virus-infected cell and binds to the infected cell and kill it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

CD8 cell; CD8 T cell; cytotoxic T cell; killer cell; killer T cell

Hypernyms ("killer T cell" is a kind of...):

T cell; T lymphocyte (a small lymphocyte developed in the thymus; it orchestrates the immune system's response to infected or malignant cells)

 Context examples 

A killer T cell is a type of white blood cell and a type of lymphocyte.

(killer T cell, NCI Dictionary)

A type of immune cell that stimulates killer T cells, macrophages, and B cells to make immune responses.

(CD4-positive T lymphocyte, NCI Dictionary)

Also called cytotoxic T lymphocyte and killer T cell.

(cytotoxic T cell, NCI Dictionary)

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), also known as killer T cells, provide a cell-mediated response to specific foreign antigens associated with cells.

(CTL-mediated Immune Response Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Also called cytotoxic T cell and killer T cell.

(cytotoxic T lymphocyte, NCI Dictionary)