Abstract
T-cell immunoglobulin- and mucin-domain-containing molecule-3 (TIM-3) was the first surface molecule that specifically identifies Th1 cells in both mice and human. Recently, identification of Galectin-9 as a ligand for TIM-3 has established the TIM-3–Galectin-9 pathway as an important regulator of Th1 immunity and tolerance induction. Many previous studies have demonstrated that TIM-3 influences chronic autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, association of TIM-3 polymorphisms with susceptibility to several autoimmune diseases has been identified. Recent work has explored the role of TIM-3 in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and their results indicate that TIM-3 may represent a novel target for the treatment of SLE. In this review, we will discuss the TIM-3 pathway and the therapeutic potential of modulating the pathway in SLE.
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Acknowledgments
This work was partly supported by grants from the key program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (30830089). The authors thank Dr. Wanling Yang of University of Hong Kong for help reviewing the manuscript.
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The authors declared no competing interests.
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Pan, HF., Zhang, N., Li, WX. et al. TIM-3 as a new therapeutic target in systemic lupus erythematosus. Mol Biol Rep 37, 395–398 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-009-9833-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-009-9833-7