Objective To explore the effect of different cold ischemia (CI)times on the patterns of intra-graft T cell activation gene-3 (TCA-3) expression early after isogeneic half liver transplantation (PLT)in mice. Methods The models of C57BL/6 full-size(FS) and PLT were established.The CI time was 1,4 and 8 h.Specimen were collected at 4 and 24 h post-reperfusion.Ribonuclease protection assays (RPA)was used to evaluate serial mRNA expression of the TCA-3 chemokine in all mice.Histopathology was used to examine cold ischemia injury in the liver grafts. Results A total of 45 control and 30 PLTs were performed.The survival rate at 7 day after control and PLT was 100％.Quantitative analysis demonstrated the levels of TCA-3 mRNA expression were low at 4 h after reperfusion in control group with 1,4,8 h CI.The levels of TCA-3 significandy increased at 4 h after reperfusion in PLT group with CI of 1,4,8 h and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( F =7.41,P ＜ 0.05 ). TCA-3 mRNA expression significantly decreased at 24 h after reperfusion in two groups. But the difference was not statistically significant ( P ＞ 0.05 ). Histopathology showed severer cold ischemia injury in PLT grafts compared with control grafts. Conclusions The expression of TCA-3 significandy increased early after PLT and played an important role in cold ischemia injury.TCA-3 could be used as the early therapeutic target for reducing ischemia injury in PLT grafts.