Tim-3 regulates sepsis-induced immunosuppression by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway in CD4 T cells

Abstract

Immunosuppression in response to severe sepsis remains a serious human health concern. Evidence of sepsis-induced immunosuppression includes impaired T lymphocyte function, T lymphocyte depletion or exhaustion, increased susceptibility to opportunistic nosocomial infection, and imbalanced cytokine secretion. CD4 Tcells play a critical role in cellular and humoral immune responses during sepsis. Here, using an RNA sequencing assay, we found that the expression of Tcell-containing immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3 (Tim-3) on CD4 Tcells in sepsis-induced immunosuppression patients was significantly elevated. Furthermore, the percentage of Tim-3+ CD4 Tcells from sepsis patients was correlated with the mortality of sepsis-induced immunosuppression. Conditional deletion of Tim-3 in CD4 Tcells and systemic Tim-3 deletion both reduced mortality in response to sepsis in mice by preserving organ function. Tim-3+ CD4 Tcells exhibited reduced proliferative ability and elevated expression of inhibitory markers compared with Tim-3-CD4 Tcells. Colocalization analyses indicated that HMGB1 was a ligand that binds to Tim-3 on CD4 Tcells and that its binding inhibited the NF-κB signaling pathway in Tim-3+ CD4 Tcells during sepsis-induced immunosuppression. Together, our findings reveal the mechanism of Tim-3 in regulating sepsis-induced immunosuppression and provide a novel therapeutic target for this condition.