ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the expression of T cell immunoglobulin mucin domain containing molecules 3(Tim-3)and its function in the type 1 diabetes mellitus(T1DM).Methods Flow cytometry was performed to measure the ratio of Tim-3+cells in 32 patients with T1DM and 26 healthy controls.The expression of Tim-3 in the peripheral blood monomuclear cells(PBMCs)was detected by real-time qPCR,and levels of HbA1C,ICA and GAD65 were also recorded.Results The ra-tio of Tim-3+ cells in patients with T1DM was significantly higher than that in healthy controls(P<0.01).The expression of Tim-3 mRNA in PBMCs from T1DM patients was also increased.Moreover,the level of Tim-3 mRNA was positively cor-related with GAD65,but it had no association to HbA1C and ICA.Furthermore,the ratio of Tim-3+ cells was positively correlated with HbA1C and GAD65,and no relationship was observed between Tim-3+ cells and ICA.Conclusion Tim-3 is highly expressed in the T1DM patients and is related to clinical symptoms,indicating Tim-3 might play a role during the oc-currence and development of T1DM.