title: Role of Tim-3 in hepatitis B virus infection: An overview.
abstract: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has received increasing public attention. HBV is the prototypical member of hepadnaviruses, which naturally infect only humans and great apes and induce the acute and persistent chronic infection of hepatocytes. A large body of evidence has demonstrated that dysfunction of the host anti-viral immune response is responsible for persistent HBV replication, unresolved inflammation and disease progression. Many regulatory factors are involved in immune dysfunction. Among these, T cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-3 (Tim-3), one of the immune checkpoint proteins, has attracted increasing attention due to its critical role in regulating both adaptive and innate immune cells. In chronic HBV infection, Tim-3 expression is elevated in many types of immune cells, such as T helper cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages and natural killer cells. Tim-3 over-expression is often accompanied by impaired function of the above-mentioned immunocytes, and Tim-3 inhibition can at least partially rescue impaired immune function and thus promote viral clearance. A better understanding of the regulatory role of Tim-3 in host immunity during HBV infection will shed new light on the mechanisms of HBV-related liver disease and suggest new therapeutic methods for intervention.
authors.affiliation: Yuan Liu, Li-Fen Gao, Xiao-Hong Liang, Chun-Hong Ma, Department of Immunology, Key Laboratory for Experimental, Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Yuan Liu, Li-Fen Gao, Xiao-Hong Liang, Chun-Hong Ma, Department of Immunology, Key Laboratory for Experimental, Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Li-Fen
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Yuan Liu, Li-Fen Gao, Xiao-Hong Liang, Chun-Hong Ma, Department of Immunology, Key Laboratory for Experimental, Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Yuan Liu, Li-Fen Gao, Xiao-Hong Liang, Chun-Hong Ma, Department of Immunology, Key Laboratory for Experimental, Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D000072597:Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: C448908:HAVCR2 protein, human; D000072597:Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2
keywords: Hepatitis B virus; Immunity; Inflammation; Liver disease; Tim-3