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My research is currently focused on studying the role of T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain three (TIM-3) in T cells. Previous literature, has found TIM-3 to be implicated in the negative regulation of T cells, specifically Th1 cells and CD8+ T cells through models of autoimmunity such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. TIM-3 has been shown to induce apoptosis of Th1 cells and reduce IFNg production upon interaction with its ligand, galectin-9. I am particularly interested in gaining an understanding the molecular mechanisms that control the expression of TIM-3, in particular the surface expression and transcriptional regulation in CD4+ T cells. Additionally, we are investigating the role of TIM-3 in CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses using TIM-3 knockout mice and infection models such as Listeria monocytogenes.
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