Granzyme B is a serine protease most commonly found in the granules of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs), natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T cells. It is secreted by these cells along with the pore forming protein perforin to mediate apoptosis in target cells.
Granzyme B has also recently been found to be produced by a wide range of non-cytotoxic cells ranging from basophils and mast cells to smooth muscle cells. The secondary functions of granzyme B are also numerous. Granzyme B has been shown to be involved in inducing inflammation by stimulating cytokine release and is also involved in extracellular matrix remodeling.
Recombinant Mouse Granzyme B produced in CHO cells is a polypeptide chain containing 227 amino acids. A fully biologically active molecule, rmGranzyme B has a molecular mass of 32 kDa analyzed by reducing SDS-PAGE and is obtained by chromatographic techniques at ExCell Bio.