title: T cell immunoglobulin-3 as a new therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: T cell immunoglobulin-3 (Tim-3) is a surface molecule expressed on various cell types of the immune system which plays a central role in immune regulation. Recently, identiﬁcation of galectin-9 (Gal-9) as a ligand for Tim-3 has established the Tim-3-Gal-9 pathway as an important regulator of Th1 immunity and induction of tolerance. The interaction of Tim-3 with Gal-9 induces cell death; the in vivo blockade of this interaction results in exacerbated autoimmunity and abrogation of tolerance in experimental models, thus establishing Tim-3 as a negative regulatory molecule. A number of previous studies have demonstrated that Tim-3 inﬂuences chronic autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. In addition, an association between Tim-3 polymorphisms and susceptibility to several autoimmune diseases has been identiﬁed in various autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recent work has focused on the role of Tim-3 in RA, and the results indicate that Tim-3 may represent a novel target for the treatment of RA. In this article we will discuss the Tim-3 pathway and the therapeutic potential of modulating the Tim-3 pathway in RA.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yi-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Cheng-Wan
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Feng-Lai
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D037161:Galectins / Q000276:immunology*; D000072597:Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D037161:Galectins; C448908:HAVCR2 protein, human; D000072597:Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2; C105032:LGALS9 protein, human; D008565:Membrane Proteins