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Differential impact of l ‐arginine deprivation on the activation and effector functions of T cells and macrophages
Author(s) -
Choi B.S.,
MartinezFalero I. Clara,
Corset C.,
Munder M.,
Modolell M.,
Müller I.,
Kropf P.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of leukocyte biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.819
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1938-3673
pISSN - 0741-5400
DOI - 10.1189/jlb.0508310
Subject(s) - arginase , arginine , effector , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , immune system , chemokine , t cell , amino acid , biochemistry , immunology
The metabolism of the amino acid l ‐arginine is emerging as a crucial mechanism for the regulation of immune responses. Here, we characterized the impact of l ‐arginine deprivation on T cell and macrophage (MΦ) effector functions: We show that whereas l ‐arginine is required unconditionally for T cell activation, MΦ can up‐regulate activation markers and produce cytokines and chemokines in the absence of l ‐arginine. Furthermore, we show that l ‐arginine deprivation does not affect the capacity of activated MΦ to up‐regulate l ‐arginine‐metabolizing enzymes such as inducible NO synthase and arginase 1. Thus, our results show that to exert their effector functions, T cells and MΦ have different requirements for l ‐arginine.