Perforin is a glycoprotein accountable for pore formation in cell membranes of target cells. Perforin can polymerize and develop a channel in the target cell skin. Many research groupings focus on the role of perforin in various diseases, immune response to bacterial and viral infections, immune surveillance, and immunopathology.
It is one of the significant cytolytic proteins of cytolytic granules. It is a pore-forming protein of cytolytic granules of cytotoxic T-lymph nodes and attaches to cells that extract foreign antigens and provoke them to lyze. It forms circular lesions on the target cell membrane.
With infected cells, perforin and granulysin work to penetrate the infected cells' membrane, which creates a pore-like opening. Perforin polymerizes and creates a transmembrane pore that allows the distribution of granzymes into the cytosol, where they initiate apoptotic death pathways. Functional perforin is crucial for cytotoxic lymphocyte ability and immune regulation in the host.