Role of Tim-3 in hepatitis B virus infection: An overview

Figure 1 Role of Tim-3 in hepatitis B virus infection. In the resting state, Tim-3 expression on most adaptive and innate immune cells is low, except for dendritic cells and macrophages, which show high and stable Tim-3 expression. However, chronic HBV/HCV infection induces or further enhances Tim-3 expression on those cells and inhibits their anti-viral immune response. Blocking Tim-3 helps rescue the impaired function of these cells and promotes virus clearance, indicating its potential as a drug target for the treatment of virus-related liver diseases. HBV: Hepatitis B virus; HCV: Hepatitis C virus.