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GeneE
26 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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GZMB
granzyme B
Chromosome 14 · 14q12
NCBI Gene: 3002Ensembl: ENSG00000100453.14HGNC: HGNC:4709UniProt: J3KQ52
342PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Hub GeneProtease
RESEARCH IMPACT
Highly StudiedTrending
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
serine-type endopeptidase activitycytoplasmcytolytic granulemembraneVitiligorespiratory failurealcohol drinkingbone remodeling disease
✦AI Summary

Granzyme B (GZMB) is a serine protease abundantly stored in cytolytic granules of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and natural killer cells 1. Upon delivery into target cells through the immunological synapse, GZMB executes cytotoxic functions through two primary mechanisms: it catalyzes cleavage of gasdermin-E (GSDME) to trigger pyroptosis 23, and it directly cleaves caspases-3, -7, -9, and -10 to activate apoptosis 4. GZMB expression is tightly regulated; microRNA-27a* negatively regulates GZMB expression to fine-tune NK cell cytotoxicity 5. In cancer immunotherapy, GZMB+ CD8+ T cells infiltrate immunoreactive triple-negative breast cancers and are associated with favorable outcomes 6. Additionally, CD8+ regulatory T cells expressing GZMB suppress autoreactive lymphocytes and prevent autoimmunity 7. Notably, cytotoxic CD4+ T cells expressing GZMB represent an emerging therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer, with their effector function restorable through dual PD-1/CD85j blockade and IL-15 stimulation 8. Age-related decline in NKG2C+GZMB- CD8+ T cells occurs during aging 9, while GZMB serves as a prognostic biomarker predicting immunotherapy response in metastatic urothelial carcinoma 10.

Sources cited
1
GZMB cleaves GSDME to trigger pyroptosis
PMID: 31953257
2
GZMB catalyzes cleavage of gasdermin-E releasing pore-forming moiety triggering pyroptosis
PMID: 32188940
3
GZMB cleaves and activates caspases-3, -9, and -10 mediating apoptosis
PMID: 9852092
4
Granzyme B is a key effector molecule in granule exocytosis pathway of lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity
PMID: 11861606
5
MicroRNA-27a* negatively regulates GZMB expression to fine-tune NK cell cytotoxicity
PMID: 21960590
6
GZMB+CD8+ T cells infiltrate immunoreactive triple-negative breast cancers associated with good outcomes
PMID: 30753167
7
GZMB expression in CD8+ regulatory T cells suppresses autoreactive lymphocytes and prevents autoimmunity
PMID: 39806065
8
Cytotoxic CD4+GZMB+ T cells in NSCLC have impaired function restorable through PD-1/CD85j dual blockade and IL-15
PMID: 40169283
9
NKG2C+GZMB-CD8+ T cells decrease with age
PMID: 37963457
10
GZMB serves as prognostic biomarker predicting immunotherapy response in metastatic urothelial carcinoma
PMID: 37247083
Disease Associationsⓘ20
VitiligoOpen Targets
0.36Weak
respiratory failureOpen Targets
0.31Weak
alcohol drinkingOpen Targets
0.24Weak
bone remodeling diseaseOpen Targets
0.23Weak
diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.17Weak
respiratory system neoplasmOpen Targets
0.17Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.11Weak
systemic lupus erythematosusOpen Targets
0.10Weak
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
Townes-Brocks syndromeOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
influenzaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
lung cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
Hypomaturation amelogenesis imperfectaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
post-traumatic stress disorderOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
hemophagocytic syndromeOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
Hypoplastic amelogenesis imperfectaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
pterygiumOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
glycogen storage disease due to lactate dehydrogenase H-subunit deficiencyOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
IFNGProtein interaction99%IL2Protein interaction98%TNFProtein interaction97%DFFAProtein interaction97%BIDProtein interaction96%SRGNProtein interaction96%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Bone Marrow
71%
Liver
18%
Heart
8%
Brain
4%
Ovary
2%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
GZMBIFNGIL2TNFDFFABIDSRGN
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB1IAU · 2.00 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.46LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.06 [0.78–1.46]
RankingsWhere GZMB stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #935of 20,598
    Most Researched342 · top 5%
  • #14,891of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.46
Genes detectedGZMB
Sources retrieved26 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
26▼
1
Single-cell atlas of healthy human blood unveils age-related loss of NKG2C
PMID: 37963457
Immunity · 2023
1.00
2
Spatially distinct tumor immune microenvironments stratify triple-negative breast cancers.
PMID: 30753167
J Clin Invest · 2019
0.90
3
Differential roles of human CD4
PMID: 39806065
Nat Immunol · 2025
0.80
4
Targeting PD-1 and CD85j can restore intratumoral CD4
PMID: 40169283
J Immunother Cancer · 2025
0.70
5
Granzyme B degrades extracellular matrix and promotes inflammation and choroidal neovascularization.
PMID: 38498232
Angiogenesis · 2024
0.64