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World J Immunol. Aug 15, 2023; 13(2): 11-22
Published online Aug 15, 2023. doi: 10.5411/wji.v13.i2.11
Stem cell-like memory T cells: Role in viral infections and autoimmunity
Meenakshi Sachdeva, Shivangi Taneja, Naresh Sachdeva
Meenakshi Sachdeva, Department of Pediatrics, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India
Shivangi Taneja, Naresh Sachdeva, Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India
Author contributions: Sachdeva M co-conceptualized the idea, performed the literature search, and wrote the manuscript; Taneja S supported in literature search, manuscript writing, and formatting; Sachdeva N conceptualized the idea, and supervised and edited the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Naresh Sachdeva, MSc, PhD, Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Sector-12, Chandigarh 160012, India. sachdeva.naresh@pgimer.edu.in
Received: April 28, 2023
Peer-review started: April 28, 2023
First decision: May 30, 2023
Revised: July 6, 2023
Accepted: July 27, 2023
Article in press: July 27, 2023
Published online: August 15, 2023
Processing time: 107 Days and 18.3 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: This article discusses the contrasting roles of stem cell-like memory T (TSCM) cells during chronic viral infections and autoimmune diseases. During chronic viral infections, such as human immunodeficiency virus-1, the TSCM cells serve as reservoirs for latent viruses, which can be activated to make them susceptible to cytotoxic T cell responses. However, during acute viral infections, the TSCM cells have the ability to replenish the diminished effector T cell population. In autoimmune diseases, like type-1 diabetes, these cells contribute to the disease pathogenesis by persistent generation of autoreactive effector T cells. A better understanding of the key signaling pathways and mediators regulating TSCM cells could lead to novel approaches to target or manipulate these cells for immunotherapeutic applications.