title: Tim-3 expression in cervical cancer promotes tumor metastasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) has been identified as a negative regulator of anti-tumor immunity. Recent studies highlight the important role of Tim-3 in the CD8(+) T cell exhaustion that takes place in both human and animal cancer models. However, the nature of Tim-3 expression in the tumor cell and the mechanism by which it inhibits anti-tumor immunity are unclear. This present study aims to determine Tim-3 is expressed in cervical cancer cells and to evaluate the role of Tim-3 in cervical cancer progression.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 85 cervical tissue specimens including 43 human cervical cancer, 22 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 20 chronic cervicitis were involved. Tim-3 expression in tumor cells was detected and was found to correlate with clinicopathological parameters. Meanwhile, expression of Tim-3 was assessed by RT-PCR, Western Blot and confocal microscopy in cervical cancer cell lines, HeLa and SiHa. The migration and invasion potential of Hela cells was evaluated after inhibiting Tim-3 expression by ADV-antisense Tim-3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that Tim-3 was expressed at a higher level in the clinical cervical cancer cells compared to the CIN and chronic cervicitis controls. We supported this finding by confirming the presence of Tim-3 mRNA and protein in the cervical cell lines. Tim-3 expression in tumor cells correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Patients with high expression of Tim-3 had a significant metastatic potential, advanced cancer grades and shorter overall survival than those with lower expression. Multivariate analysis showed that Tim-3 expression was an independent factor for predicting the prognosis of cervical cancer. Significantly, down-regulating the expression of Tim-3 protein inhibited migration and invasion of Hela cells. Our study suggests that the expression of Tim-3 in tumor cells may be an independent prognostic factor for patients with cervical cancer. Moreover, Tim-3 expression may promote metastatic potential in cervical cancers.
authors: Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Cao
authors: Xiaoxi
authors: X
authors: Zhou
authors: Xiaoyuan
authors: X
authors: Huang
authors: Qinlu
authors: Q
authors: Li
authors: Lili
authors: L
authors: Gao
authors: Lijun
authors: L
authors: Jiang
authors: Mei
authors: M
authors: Huang
authors: Jianfeng
authors: J
authors: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002460:Cell Line; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006367:HeLa Cells; D000072597:Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C448908:HAVCR2 protein, human; D000072597:Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2; D008565:Membrane Proteins