MINI REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. T Cell Biology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1661755
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Function and Regulation of T Cell Subsets in Inflammatory DiseaseView all 16 articles
Gzmk + CD8 T cells in inflammatory diseases
Provisionally accepted
- 1China Medical University, Shenyang, China
- 2hunan police college, changsha, China
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T cells are integral to the immune response, with distinct subsets exhibiting specialized functions, a phenomenon well-characterized in helper CD4 + T cells. Recent advancements in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) have facilitated the identification of numerous novel CD8 T cell subsets, each characterized by unique functional properties. As cytotoxic T lymphocytes, the primary focus has been on the cytotoxic capabilities and antigen specificity of these subsets. A recently identified subset, Granzyme k (Gzmk) + CD8 T cells, has been closely associated with inflammatory diseases, independent of their cytotoxic function. Unlike other granzymes, granzyme K predominantly induces proinflammatory responses in tissues or cells rather than mediating cytotoxicity. This review synthesizes current evidence regarding the regulation, functional roles, and underlying mechanisms of Gzmk + CD8 T cells in inflammatory conditions. Elucidating these processes may reveal potential therapeutic targets for treating inflammatory diseases.
Keywords: GZMK, CD8, inflammatory diseaes, Inflammaging, Aging
Received: 08 Jul 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cao, Xin, liu and zhan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wenqiang Cao, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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