Increased exhausted CD8+ T cells with programmed death-1, T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain-containing-3 phenotype in patients with multiple myeloma.

We characterized the distribution of PD-1 and TIM-3 concurrent with exhausted CD3+ , CD4+ and CD8+ T cells between BM and PB from patients with MM. Higher numbers of PD-1+ CD244+ or PD-1+ CD57+ CD3+ T cells in BM from patients with MM may contribute to mediate the BM immunosuppressive microenvironment. Although heterogeneous alterations in Tim-3+ T cells may represent a complex immunosuppressive pattern in MM. Overall, higher levels of PD-1+ CD244+ or PD-1/Tim-3+ CD57+ CD8+ T cells may be a major reason for lower T-cell activation and T-cell immunodeficiency in MM.