Meaning | A small lymphocyte developed in the thymus; it orchestrates the immune system's response to infected or malignant cells. |
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Synonym | T cell |
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Narrower | helper T cell, helper cell, CD4 T cell, CD4 cell | T cell with CD4 receptor that recognizes antigens on the surface of a virus-infected cell and secretes lymphokines that stimulate B cells and killer T cells |
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killer T cell, killer cell, cytotoxic T cell, CD8 T cell, CD8 cell | T cell with CD8 receptor that recognizes antigens on the surface of a virus-infected cell and binds to the infected cell and kill it |
Broader | lymphocyte, lymph cell | An agranulocytic leukocyte that normally makes up a quarter of the white blood cell count but increases in the presence of infection |
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