“L-Arginine Modulates T Cell Metabolism and Enhances Survival and Anti-tumor Activity” (2016), by Roger Geiger et al. Immunology and Microbiology research paper. Original abstract below, unchanged. No free PDF was found.

L-Arginine Modulates T Cell Metabolism and Enhances Survival and Anti-tumor Activity

Roger Geiger, Jan C. Rieckmann, Tobias Wolf et al. · October 1, 2016 · Immunology and Microbiology

Abstract

Metabolic activity is intimately linked to T cell fate and function. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, we generated dynamic metabolome and proteome profiles of human primary naive T cells following activation. We discovered critical changes in the arginine metabolism that led to a drop in intracellular L-arginine concentration. Elevating L-arginine levels induced global metabolic changes including a shift from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation in activated T cells and promoted the generation of central memory-like cells endowed with higher survival capacity and, in a mouse model, anti-tumor activity. Proteome-wide probing of structural alterations, validated by the analysis of knockout T cell clones, identified three transcriptional regulators (BAZ1B, PSIP1, and TSN) that sensed L-arginine levels and promoted T cell survival. Thus, intracellular L-arginine concentrations directly impact the metabolic fitness and survival capacity of T cells that are crucial for anti-tumor responses.

Source page DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.09.031