Functional Heterogeneity and Therapeutic Targeting of Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells
Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
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Cells 2021, 10(1), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10010164
Received: 4 December 2020 / Revised: 8 January 2021 / Accepted: 13 January 2021 / Published: 15 January 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells)
Tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells mediate potent local innate and adaptive immune responses and provide long-lasting protective immunity. TRM cells localize to many different tissues, including barrier tissues, and play a crucial role in protection against infectious and malignant disease. The formation and maintenance of TRM cells are influenced by numerous factors, including inflammation, antigen triggering, and tissue-specific cues. Emerging evidence suggests that these signals also contribute to heterogeneity within the TRM cell compartment. Here, we review the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of CD8+ TRM cells at different tissue sites and the molecular determinants defining CD8+ TRM cell subsets. We further discuss the possibilities of targeting the unique cell surface molecules, cytokine and chemokine receptors, transcription factors, and metabolic features of TRM cells for therapeutic purposes. Their crucial role in immune protection and their location at the frontlines of the immune defense make TRM cells attractive therapeutic targets. A better understanding of the possibilities to selectively modulate TRM cell populations may thus improve vaccination and immunotherapeutic strategies employing these potent immune cells.
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Keywords:
T cells; heterogeneity; tissue residency; immunotherapy; therapeutic targeting
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
van der Gracht, E.T.I.; Behr, F.M.; Arens, R. Functional Heterogeneity and Therapeutic Targeting of Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells. Cells 2021, 10, 164. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10010164
AMA Style
van der Gracht ETI, Behr FM, Arens R. Functional Heterogeneity and Therapeutic Targeting of Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells. Cells. 2021; 10(1):164. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10010164
Chicago/Turabian Stylevan der Gracht, Esmé T.I.; Behr, Felix M.; Arens, Ramon. 2021. "Functional Heterogeneity and Therapeutic Targeting of Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells" Cells 10, no. 1: 164. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10010164
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