T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (Tim-3) is recruited to the immune synapse, disrupts stable synapse formation and associates with receptor phosphatases

CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are adept at killing virally infected cells and cancer cells and releasing cytokines (e.g. IFN-γ) to aid this response. However, during cancer and chronic viral infections, such as with Human Immunodeficiency Virus, this CTL response is progressively impaired due to a process called T-cell exhaustion. Previous work has shown that the glycoprotein, T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (Tim-3) plays a functional role in establishing T-cell exhaustion. Tim-3 is highly upregulated on virus and tumor antigen-specific CD8 + T-cells and antagonizing Tim-3 helps restore function of CD8 + T cells. However, very little is known of how Tim-3 signals in CTLs. In this study, we assessed the role of Tim-3 at the immunological synapse as well as its interaction with proximal TCR signaling molecules in primary human CD8 + T cells. Tim-3 was found withinCD8 + T cell lipid rafts at the immunological synapse. Blocking Tim-3 resulted in a significantly greater number of stable synapses being formed between Tim-3 hi CD8 + T cells and target cells, suggesting that Tim-3 plays a functional role in synapse formation. Further, we confirmed that Tim-3 interacts with Lck, but not the phospho-active form of Lck. Finally, Tim-3 colocalizes with receptor phosphatases CD45 and CD148, an interaction that is enhanced in the presence of the Tim-3 ligand, galectin-9. Thus, Tim-3 interacts with multiple signaling molecules at the immunological synapse and characterizing these interactions could aid in the development of therapeutics to restore Tim-3-mediated immune dysfunction.