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Amino Acids and Immune Response: A Role for Cysteine, Glutamine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan and Arginine in T-cell Function and Cancer?

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

While proteins are critical for immunity, T-cells constitute a critical component of adaptive immunity by clearing cancerous cells among other abnormal cells. However, cancer cells exhibit a potential to escape T-cell control by employing mechanisms not completely delineated. Interesting work has investigated how certain amino acids affect the proliferation rate of T-cells as well as their effectiveness in clearing tumors. The role of amino acids cysteine, glutamine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and arginine in immunomodulation and particularly regarding T-cell proliferation and activation is discussed. The redox balance is reported to affect T-cell proliferation via modulation of cysteine availability. In addition antigen presenting cells (APCs), similar to myeloid cells determine the availability of amino acids in the extracellular microenvironment affecting T-cell proliferation and activation. A better mechanistic understanding of T-cell function modulation via amino acid signaling or metabolic properties may be helpful towards optimization of adaptive immunity with implications for cancer prognosis and treatment.

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  1. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Immunobiology Laboratory, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Angelos K. Sikalidis

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Sikalidis, A.K. Amino Acids and Immune Response: A Role for Cysteine, Glutamine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan and Arginine in T-cell Function and Cancer?. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 21, 9–17 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-014-9860-0

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