Word: Cytotoxic T Cell
Part of Speech: Noun
Explanation: A cytotoxic T cell is a type of immune cell in your body. It has a special job: it helps protect you from infections, especially from viruses. When a virus infects a cell, the cytotoxic T cell can recognize that the cell is infected. It then attaches itself to the infected cell and helps kill it. This way, it helps keep your body healthy by fighting off diseases.
Usage Instructions: You can use "cytotoxic T cell" when talking about the immune system, biology, or medicine. It is a specific term that might be used in discussions about how the body fights infections.
Example: "When the body detects a virus, cytotoxic T cells are activated to find and destroy the infected cells."
Advanced Usage: In more advanced discussions, you might encounter terms like "CD8 receptor," which refers to a specific marker that helps identify cytotoxic T cells. Scientists study these cells to develop vaccines and treatments for diseases like cancer and HIV.
Word Variants: - "T cell" (a more general term that includes all types of T cells, not just cytotoxic ones). - "Helper T cell" (another type of T cell that helps coordinate the immune response).
Different Meanings: The term "cytotoxic" can also be used in other contexts to describe substances that can kill cells, not just in reference to T cells. For example, some chemotherapy drugs are cytotoxic because they kill cancer cells.
Synonyms: - Killer T cell (another commonly used term for cytotoxic T cells). - Cytolytic T cell (another scientific term that describes the same function).
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: There aren't specific idioms or phrasal verbs that include "cytotoxic T cell" due to its technical nature. However, you could say "fight off" in a more general sense when discussing how these cells work.