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. 2021 Feb 1;11:613204. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.613204

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Copyright © 2021 Konduri, Oyewole-Said, Vazquez-Perez, Weldon, Halpert, Levitt and Decker

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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CD161-expressing CD8⁺ T cells are classified as tissue homing MAIT (Mucosal Associated Invariant T) cells, cytotoxic Tc17 cells, or T_mem (stem cell like memory) cells that display tissue homing and enhanced cytotoxic characteristics in addition to memory. T_mem cells respond to viral infections and can be activated by antigen presenting cells loaded with viral peptides or intracellular bacteria. In response to infection or antigenic stimulation, T_mem cells upregulate chemokine and stress receptors and secrete granzyme, INF-γ, and in some instances, IL-17. CD161⁺ T_mem cells home to vital organs like lungs, liver, gut, pancreas, and brain where they respond to viral infections and also display anti-tumor properties.