Arginase: an emerging key player in the mammalian immune system

摘要: The enzyme arginase metabolizes L-arginine to L-ornithine and urea. Besides its fundamental role in the hepatic urea cycle, is also expressed immune system of mice man. While significant interspecies differences exist regarding expression, subcellular localization regulation cell arginase, associated pathways immunopathology are comparable between species. Arginase induced murine myeloid cells mainly by Th2 cytokines inflammatory agents participates a variety diseases down-regulation nitric oxide synthesis, induction fibrosis tissue regeneration. In humans, I constitutively polymorphonuclear neutrophils liberated during inflammation. Myeloid arginase-mediated depletion profoundly suppresses T responses this has emerged as mechanism inflammation-associated immunosuppression. Pharmacological interference with metabolism novel promising strategy treatment cancer, autoimmunity or unwanted deviation.