killer T cell
- noun
- /ˈkɪlər tiː sɛl/
- Specialized
:
célula T citotóxica
- This induces the production of killer T cells primed to target the tumor.
- killer T cells attack
- immune killer T cells
Examples
-
Killer T cells destroy infected cells to stop disease from spreading.
-
While squadrons of killer T cells seek out and destroy cells that are already HIV infected.
-
"We have killer T-cells that guard the body against foreign organisms and wipe out invaders."
Academic text (1998) -
Killer T cells then attack the cancer cells.
Synonyms
1
4.3
A white blood cell that finds and kills virus-infected cells
A white blood cell with a CD8 marker that kills infected or cancer cells
A kind of immune cell that finds and kills cells infected by viruses
A type of white blood cell that finds and kills virus-infected or abnormal cells
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built: 'killer' (one that kills) + 'cell' (biological unit) yields the straightforward idea of a cell that kills, and the 'T' functions as a subtype marker (a specific kind of cell). Although 'T' is a technical label, it does not block the basic inference that this is a cell whose role is to kill infected or abnormal cells, so a learner knowing the constituents would readily grasp the core meaning.
Etymology
Killer T cell gives a simple picture: killer suggests something that destroys, and T cell is a blood cell that fights sickness. So the name reminds us these cells find and 'kill' cells that have a virus or are cancerous in the body.