TIGIT+ TIM-3+ NK cells are correlated with NK cell exhaustion and disease progression in patients with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is extremely poor, of which hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) accounts for the majority in China. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become an effective immunotherapy method for the treatment of HCC, but they are mainly used for T cells. NK cells play a vital role as the first line of defense against tumors. Therefore, we explored the characteristic expression pattern of immune checkpoints on NK cells of HBV-HCC patients. We analyzed the correlation between the co-expression of TIGIT and TIM-3 and the clinical progress of patients with HBV-HCC. The co-expression of TIGIT and TIM-3 on NK cells is elevated in patients with HBV-HCC. TIGIT(+)TIM-3(+)NK cells showed exhausted phenotypic characteristics and displayed dysfunction manifested as weakened killing function, reduced cytokine production, and proliferation function. TIGIT(+)TIM-3(+)NK cells participate in NK cells function exhaustion and are closely related to the disease progression of patients with HBV-HCC, suggesting a new target for future immunotherapy.