AUTHOR=Li Yujie , Wu Dengqiang , Yang Xuejia , Zhou Sufang 

TITLE=Immunotherapeutic Potential of T Memory Stem Cells

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.723888

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2021.723888

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p>Memory T cells include T memory stem cells (T<sub>SCM</sub>) and central memory T cells (T<sub>CM</sub>). Compared with effector memory T cells (T<sub>EM</sub>) and effector T cells (T<sub>EFF</sub>), they have better durability and anti-tumor immunity. Recent studies have shown that although T<sub>SCM</sub> has excellent self-renewal ability and versatility, if it is often exposed to antigens and inflammatory signals, T<sub>SCM</sub> will behave as a variety of inhibitory receptors such as PD-1, TIM-3 and LAG-3 expression, and metabolic changes from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis. These changes can lead to the exhaustion of T cells. Cumulative evidence in animal experiments shows that it is the least differentiated cell in the memory T lymphocyte system and is a central participant in many physiological and pathological processes in humans. It has a good clinical application prospect, so it is more and more important to study the factors affecting the formation of T<sub>SCM</sub>. This article summarizes and prospects the phenotypic and functional characteristics of T<sub>SCM</sub>, the regulation mechanism of formation, and its application in treatment of clinical diseases.</p>