T Cell Memory in Infection, Cancer, and Autoimmunity

Long-term immunological memory represents a unique performance of the adaptive immunity selected during evolution to support long-term survival of species in vertebrates, through protection against dangerous invaders, namely, infectious agents or unwanted (e.g., tumor) cells. The balance between the development of T cell memory and various mechanisms of immunoregulation (namely, T cell effector exhaustion and regulatory T cell suppression) dictates the fate in providing protection or not in different conditions, such as (acute or chronic) infection, vaccination, cancer, and autoimmunity. Here, these different environments are taken in consideration to outline the up-to-date cellular and molecular features regulating the development or damping of immunological memory and to delineate therapeutic strategies capable to improve or control it, in order to address pathological contexts, such as infection, tumor, and autoimmunity.

Automated summary

This article discusses the importance of long-term immunological memory in the long-term survival of species and the cellular and molecular features regulating its development and suppression in different environments. It also outlines therapeutic strategies to address pathological contexts such as infection, tumor, and autoimmunity.