Tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells have become a paradigm shift in the field of immunology and have changed our view of local immune surveillance at barrier surfaces. In contrast to circulating memory T cells, TRM cells are fixed in non-lymphoid organs like lungs, intestine and skin to act as the first line of defense against reinfection and malignant conversion.
The finding contradicts the conventional emphasis on exercise immunology on the number of circulating lymphocytes and requires a new conceptual framework of the so-called quantitative to spatial immune remodeling. This review summarizes the current developments in the TRM cell biology and its relevance to exercise immunology and answer the main question of the review: will endurance training, like a vaccine, elevate the density of both TRM cells in non-lymphoid tissues and their functional capacity?
To begin with, we define the molecular basis of TRM cells, their differentiation routes, storage processes (CD69, CD103), and tissue-specific diversity.
Frontiers in Immunology published a clinical update in Infectious Disease on 07 May 2026.
The item focuses on Exercise and tissue-resident memory T cells: from circulating numbers to spatial immune remodeling.
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