TIMs: central regulators of immune responses

Exhaustion of T cell responses during chronic viral infections has been observed in both mouse and man and has been attributed to up-regulation of PD-1 on the surface of exhausted T cells. In patients with chronic human HIV infection, T cell exhaustion leads to opportunistic infections associated with AIDS. However, not all the exhausted T cells express PD-1, suggesting that other molecules may be involved in the phenotype. A new study now demonstrates a central role for T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein-3 (TIM-3) in T cell exhaustion during chronic HIV infection and suggests that TIM-3 may be a novel therapeutic target in chronic viral diseases.