Identification of Different Form Tim-3 Proteins by a Unique Set of Tim-3 Monoclonal Antibodies

Soluble TIM-3 as a biomarker of progression and therapeutic response in cancers and other of human diseases

Immune checkpoints inhibition is a privileged approach to combat cancers and other human diseases. The TIM-3 (T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3) inhibitory checkpoint expressed on different types of immune cells is actively investigated as an anticancer target, with a dozen of monoclonal antibodies in (pre)clinical development. A soluble form sTIM-3 can be found in the plasma of patients with cancer and other diseases. This active circulating protein originates from the proteolytic cleavage by two ADAM metalloproteases of the membrane receptor shared by tumor and non-tumor cells, and extracellular vesicles. In most cancers but not all, overexpression of mTIM-3 at the cell surface leads to high level of sTIM-3. Similarly, elevated levels of sTIM-3 have been reported in chronic autoimmune diseases, inflammatory gastro-intestinal diseases, certain viral and parasitic diseases, but also in cases of organ transplantation and in pregnancy-related pathologies. We have analyzed the origin of sTIM-3, its methods of dosage in blood or plasma, its presence in multiple diseases and its potential role as a biomarker to follow disease progression and/or the treatment response. In contrast to sPD-L1 generated by different classes of proteases and by alternative splicing, sTIM-3 is uniquely produced upon ADAM-dependent shedding, providing a more homogenous molecular entity and a possibly more reliable molecular marker. However, the biological functionality of sTIM-3 remains insufficiently characterized. The review shed light on pathologies associated with an altered expression of sTIM-3 in human plasma and the possibility to use sTIM-3 as a diagnostic or therapeutic marker.

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain protein 3 inhibits glycolysis in RAW 264.7 macrophages through Hexokinase 2

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3 (Tim-3), an immune checkpoint molecule, plays critical roles in maintaining innate immune homeostasis; however, the mechanisms underlying these roles remain to be determined. Here, we determined that Tim-3 controls glycolysis in macrophages and thus contributes to phenotype shifting. Tim-3 signal blockade significantly increases lactate production by macrophages, but does not influence cell proliferation or apoptosis. Tim-3 attenuates glucose uptake by inhibiting hexokinase 2 (HK2) expression in macrophages. Tim-3-mediated inhibition of macrophage glycolysis and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1β are reversed by HK2 silencing. Finally, we demonstrated that Tim-3 inhibits HK2 expression via the STAT1 pathway. We have thus discovered a new way by which Tim-3 modulates macrophage function.