Schnell A. Stem-like T cells in cancer and autoimmunity.
Immunol Rev 2024. [PMID:
38804499 DOI:
10.1111/imr.13356]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Stem-like T cells are characterized by their ability to self-renew, survive long-term, and give rise to a heterogeneous pool of effector and memory T cells. Recent advances in single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and lineage tracing technologies revealed an important role for stem-like T cells in both autoimmunity and cancer. In cancer, stem-like T cells constitute an important arm of the anti-tumor immune response by giving rise to effector T cells that mediate tumor control. In contrast, in autoimmunity stem-like T cells perform an unfavorable role by forming a reservoir of long-lived autoreactive cells that replenish the pathogenic, effector T-cell pool and thereby driving disease pathology. This review provides background on the discovery of stem-like T cells and their function in cancer and autoimmunity. Moreover, the influence of the microbiota and metabolism on the stem-like T-cell pool is summarized. Lastly, the implications of our knowledge about stem-like T cells for clinical treatment strategies for cancer and autoimmunity will be discussed.
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