Abstract
Patients with cancer have an impaired T cell response that can decrease the potential therapeutic benefit of cancer vaccines and other forms of immunotherapy. l-Arginine (l-Arg) is a nonessential amino acid that is fundamental for the function of T lymphocytes. Recent findings in tumor-bearing mice and cancer patients indicate that the increased metabolism of l-Arg by myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) producing Arginase I inhibits T lymphocyte responses. Here, we discuss some of the most recent concepts of how MDSC expressing Arginase I may regulate T cell function in cancer and other chronic inflammatory diseases, and suggest possible therapeutic interventions to overcome this inhibitory effect.
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This work was supported by NIH/NCI Grants 5R01CA082689, 5R01CA107974 and 5P20RR021970
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Rodríguez, P.C., Ochoa, A.C. (2012). Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Cancer: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives. In: Wang, R. (eds) Innate Immune Regulation and Cancer Immunotherapy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9914-6_18
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