Immunotherapeutic Potential of T Memory Stem Cells

Memory T cells include T memory stem cells (T_SCM) and central memory T cells (T_CM). Compared with effector memory T cells (T_EM) and effector T cells (T_EFF), they have better durability and anti-tumor immunity. Recent studies have shown that although T_SCM has excellent self-renewal ability and versatility, if it is often exposed to antigens and inflammatory signals, T_SCM 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_SCM. This article summarizes and prospects the phenotypic and functional characteristics of T_SCM, the regulation mechanism of formation, and its application in treatment of clinical diseases.