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New roles for TIM family members in immune regulation

Abstract

Members of the TIM (T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain) protein family are emerging as important regulators of immune responses. As their names imply, the TIM proteins were originally thought to be T-cell-specific molecules that served mainly to regulate T-helper-cell responses. However, the recent discovery that antigen-presenting cells also express TIM molecules and the identification of new TIM-protein ligands has expanded the known roles of the TIM proteins in immune regulation.

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Figure 1: Mouse TIM family proteins and their ligands.
Figure 2: Model of TIM3 function in the immune system.

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Correspondence to Vijay K. Kuchroo.

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Kuchroo, V., Dardalhon, V., Xiao, S. et al. New roles for TIM family members in immune regulation. Nat Rev Immunol 8, 577–580 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2366

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