Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe process of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) killing involves the recognition and destruction of foreign antigens by cytotoxic T cells and is of crucial importance to the defence of the organism against viral infections. Defects in this process can lead to various autoimmune diseases and cancer. The aim of this study was to identify more genes involved in the cell death pathway and to link CTL killing, apoptosis and cancer.South Afric