Department of Hematology, Shandong provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, 250021,China.
Department of Hematology, Shandong provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, 250021,China.
Int Immunopharmacol. 2014 Mar;19(1):1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2013.12.025. Epub 2014 Jan 7.
The T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-(Tim)-1 molecule and Tim-3 are mainly expressed on activated T helper (Th) 2 and Th1 cells, respectively, and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of some autoimmune diseases. Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a common autoimmune disorder, and the complex dysregulation of cellular immunity has been observed; however, the relationship between Tims and excessive immune responses in ITP remains unclear.
Using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the mRNA expression levels of Tim-1, Tim-3, T-box transcription factor (T-bet) and GATA binding protein 3 (GATA-3) were measured in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 45 newly diagnosed patients with active ITP, 34 ITP patients in remission and 31 healthy volunteers.
Tim-3 mRNA expression in PBMCs in newly diagnosed patients was significantly decreased. At the same time, Tim-1 mRNA was not significantly declined, which resulted in a decreased ratio of Tim-3 to Tim-1 in ITP patients with active disease. During the remission stages, the levels of these transcription factors were comparable with those observed in healthy controls.
The reduced levels of Tim-3/Tim-1 in PBMCs during active stages of the disease suggest a possible role in the pathogenesis and course of ITP. Regulating the balance of Tim-1 and Tim-3 in ITP patients could also be a therapeutic approach against ITP.
T 细胞免疫球蛋白和黏蛋白结构域-1（Tim）-1 分子和 Tim-3 主要分别表达于活化的辅助性 T 细胞（Th）2 和 Th1 细胞上，并与一些自身免疫性疾病的发病机制有关。免疫性血小板减少症（ITP）是一种常见的自身免疫性疾病，观察到细胞免疫的复杂失调，但 Tim 与 ITP 中过度免疫反应之间的关系尚不清楚。
采用实时定量聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测 45 例新诊断的活动性 ITP 患者、34 例缓解期 ITP 患者和 31 例健康志愿者外周血单个核细胞（PBMC）中 Tim-1、Tim-3、T 盒转录因子（T-bet）和 GATA 结合蛋白 3（GATA-3）的 mRNA 表达水平。
新诊断的 ITP 患者 PBMC 中 Tim-3mRNA 的表达明显降低，同时 Tim-1mRNA 无明显下降，导致 Tim-3/Tim-1 比值在活动性疾病患者中降低。在缓解期，这些转录因子的水平与健康对照组相似。
PBMCs 中 Tim-3/Tim-1 在疾病活动期的降低水平提示其可能在 ITP 的发病机制和病程中发挥作用。调节 ITP 患者中 Tim-1 和 Tim-3 的平衡也可能成为治疗 ITP 的一种方法。
