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

• Published in: Pathology oncology research Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 9 - 17
• Main Author: Sikalidis, Angelos K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Amino Acids - immunology; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer Research; Cell Proliferation - physiology; Humans; Immunology; Immunomodulation - immunology; Neoplasms - immunology; Oncology; Pathology; Review; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Signaling; Cysteine; Immune response; T-cell; Phenylalanine; Arginine; Immunomodulation; Tryptophan; Amino acids; Avidity; Glutamine
• ISSN: 1219-4956; 1532-2807
• DOI: 10.1007/s12253-014-9860-0

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.