Clinical Significance and Pathopysiological Function of the Tim-3/Galection-9 Pathway in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Background:Galectin-9 (Gal-9), a member of the galectin family, plays a crucial role in inflammation and tumorigenesis involving angiogenesis, cell adhesion, immune escape, and cancer cell survival. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Gal-9 is highly expressed in some AML cell lines and binds with T-cell immunoglobulin- and mucin-domain-containing molecule-3 (Tim-3) on T cells and leukemic stem cells. The Tim-3/Gal-9 pathway may be associated with disease progression by inducing T-cell dysregulation and mediating autocrine proliferation of leukemic cells. However, the role of the pathway in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) remains unclear. In the current study, we investigated the prognostic impact of plasma Gal-9 levels and the pathophysiological roles of Gal-9 and Tim-3 in MDS.