T-Cell Immunoglobulin and Mucin Domain 3 (TIM-3) Gene Expression as a Negative Biomarker of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) accounts for 85% of all childhood ALL. Malignancies exhaust T and B cells, resulting in an increased expression of immune checkpoint receptors (ICRs), such as T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3). TIM-3 has been found to be dysregulated in different types of cancer. However, there is a lack of rigorous studies on the TIM-3 expression in B-ALL. The current study aimed to measure the expression of TIM-3 at the gene and protein levels and evaluate the potential of TIM-3 as a biomarker in B-ALL. A total of 28 subjects were recruited between 2021 and 2023, comprising 18 subjects diagnosed with B-ALL and 10 non-malignant healthy controls. The B-ALL patients were divided into three groups: newly diagnosed (four patients), in remission (nine patients), and relapse/refractory (five patients). The expression levels of TIM-3 were evaluated using the real-time qPCR and ELISA techniques. The results revealed that the TIM-3 expression was significantly downregulated in the malignant B-ALL patients compared to the non-malignant healthy controls in the mRNA (FC = -1.058 ± 0.3548, = 0.0061) and protein blood serum ( = 0.0498) levels. A significant TIM-3 gene reduction was observed in the relapse/refractory cases (FC = -1.355 ± 0.4686, = 0.0327). TIM-3 gene expression allowed for significant differentiation between patients with malignant B-ALL and non-malignant healthy controls, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.706. The current study addressed the potential of reduced levels of TIM-3 as a negative biomarker for B-ALL patients.