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.