Abstract
The aim of this study is to compare the expression of TIM-3 from CD4+ T cells from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy controls and to evaluate the effect of galectin-9 (Gal-9) on apoptosis of CD4+ T cells in these patients. CD4+ T cells from RA patients and healthy controls were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and were activated. The expression of TIM-3 mRNA in CD4+ T cells was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction. CD4+ T cells were activated in the presence of graded doses of Gal-9 or control, and Gal-9-induced cytotoxicity and apoptotic activity of CD4+ T cells were analyzed using MTT assays and annexin-V staining, respectively. TIM-3 mRNA expression was significantly lower in CD4+ T cells from RA patients compared with those in healthy controls (p = 0.028). CD4+ T cell survival as measured by MTT assay when incubated with Gal-9 (15 nM) was significantly higher in RA patients than in healthy controls (p = 0.002). Apoptotic activity of CD4+ T cells from healthy controls as measured by annexin staining increased with graded doses of Gal-9 (0 nM vs. 30 nM, 0 nM vs. 90 nM, p = 0.016 each). However, apoptotic activity of CD4+ T cells from RA patients did not change despite the stimulation with Gal-9. Gal-9-mediated apoptosis of CD4+ T cells is dysfunctional in RA patients. Blunted Gal-9-mediated apoptosis may be exerted through underexpression of TIM-3 that negatively regulates Th1 response. Our data suggest that TIM-3 and its interaction with Gal-9 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of RA and may represent a potential therapeutic target.
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The authors thank all the subjects for their participation in this study.
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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Funding Statement
This study was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST; 2010–0024925).
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Lee, J., Park, EJ., Noh, J.W. et al. Underexpression of TIM-3 and Blunted Galectin-9-Induced Apoptosis of CD4+ T Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Inflammation 35, 633–637 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-011-9355-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-011-9355-z