Tim-3 Upregulation in Monocyte Subsets as a Distinctive Immune Feature and Early Diagnostic Indicator in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Yiming Gao, Qihui Han, Xiaoyi Zheng, Zhiwei Zong, Ziqi Xiong, Zhonghui Zhang, Ayibaota Bahabayi, Chen LiuAbstract
Introduction
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by immune dysregulation. Tim-3 is an immune checkpoint receptor implicated in various autoimmune conditions. This study aimed to evaluate Tim-3 expression across monocyte subsets in newly diagnosed, treatment-naive SLE patients and assess its clinical relevance and diagnostic potential.
Methods
Peripheral blood samples were analyzed using flow cytometry. Tim-3 expression and its co-expression with HLA-DR/DP/DQ, CD226, and CD62L were assessed.
Results
Results showed significantly elevated Tim-3 expression in all monocyte subsets in SLE patients compared to controls. Tim-3+ monocytes exhibited decreased VNN2 level, indicating an activated antigen-presenting phenotype. Upon LPS stimulation, Tim-3+ monocyte subsets secreted more TNF-α. The frequency of Tim-3+ monocytes positively correlated with anti-Ro52 and anti-SSA antibodies, negatively with C3 and IgM levels. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that Tim-3+ monocytes had moderate diagnostic performance for SLE, with area under the curve values of 0.7901.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that Tim-3+ monocytes may serve as potential biomarkers for early SLE diagnosis.