Role of Polyamines in Immune Cell Functions
#MMPMID29517999
Hesterberg RS
; Cleveland JL
; Epling-Burnette PK
Med Sci (Basel)
2018[Mar]; 6
(1
): ? PMID29517999
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The immune system is remarkably responsive to a myriad of invading microorganisms
and provides continuous surveillance against tissue damage and developing tumor
cells. To achieve these diverse functions, multiple soluble and cellular
components must react in an orchestrated cascade of events to control the
specificity, magnitude and persistence of the immune response. Numerous catabolic
and anabolic processes are involved in this process, and prominent roles for
l-arginine and l-glutamine catabolism have been described, as these amino acids
serve as precursors of nitric oxide, creatine, agmatine, tricarboxylic acid cycle
intermediates, nucleotides and other amino acids, as well as for ornithine, which
is used to synthesize putrescine and the polyamines spermidine and spermine.
Polyamines have several purported roles and high levels of polyamines are
manifest in tumor cells as well in autoreactive B- and T-cells in autoimmune
diseases. In the tumor microenvironment, l-arginine catabolism by both tumor
cells and suppressive myeloid cells is known to dampen cytotoxic T-cell functions
suggesting there might be links between polyamines and T-cell suppression. Here,
we review studies suggesting roles of polyamines in normal immune cell function
and highlight their connections to autoimmunity and anti-tumor immune cell
function.
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