Final answer:
Cytotoxic T cells detect and destroy infected cells by releasing perforin and granzymes, which induce apoptosis. They also produce cytokines to enhance immune response and prevent the spread of infection.
Step-by-step explanation:
When that MHC I-bound antigen is detected, the cytotoxic T cell initiates a number of processes intended to destroy the infected cell. This destruction is accomplished through the release of proteins like perforin, which creates pores in the target cell membrane, and granzymes, proteases that enter through these pores and induce apoptosis (controlled cell death). This mechanism ensures the elimination of the infected cells and prevents the spread of the infection to neighboring cells.
Cytotoxic T Cells (CTLs) also produce cytokines, such as interferons, which alter the surface protein expression in other infected cells to help identify and destroy them. Interferons also help to prevent the release of virus particles from virally infected cells. By targeting cells that display foreign antigens bound to MHC I molecules, CTLs play a crucial role in the immune response against intracellular pathogens, such as viruses, and in identifying cells with down-regulated MHC I molecules, which is a task they share with NK (Natural Killer) cells.
Ultimately, CTLs work along with other components of the immune system to provide a comprehensive defense against pathogen-infected cells and early cancers. After the infection is under control, most cytotoxic T cells die off, leaving behind memory cells that can quickly respond if the same pathogen is encountered again.