Peripheral Injection of Tim-3 Antibody Attenuates VSV Encephalitis by Enhancing MHC-I Presentation

Viral encephalitis is the most common cause of encephalitis. It is responsible for high morbidity rates, permanent neurological sequelae, and even high mortality rates. The host immune response plays a critical role in preventing or clearing invading pathogens, especially when effective antiviral treatment is lacking. However, due to blockade of the blood-brain barrier, it remains unclear how peripheral immune cells contribute to the fight against intracerebral viruses. Here, we report that peripheral injection of an antibody against human Tim-3, an immune checkpoint inhibitor widely expressed on immune cells, markedly attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) encephalitis, marked by decreased mortality and improved neuroethology in mice. Peripheral injection of Tim-3 antibody enhanced the recruitment of immune cells to the brain, increased the expression of major histocompatibility complex-I (MHC-I) on macrophages, and as a result, promoted the activation of VSV-specific CD8⁺ T cells. Depletion of macrophages abolished the peripheral injection-mediated protection against VSV encephalitis. Notably, for the first time, we found a novel post-translational modification of MHC-I by Tim-3, wherein, by enhancing the expression of MARCH9, Tim-3 promoted the proteasome-dependent degradation of MHC-I via K48-linked ubiquitination in macrophages. These results provide insights into the immune response against intracranial infections; thus, manipulating the peripheral immune cells with Tim-3 antibody to fight viruses in the brain may have potential applications for combating viral encephalitis.