title: The macrophage migration inhibitory factor MIF is a phenylpyruvate tautomerase.
abstract: A macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), originally described as a product of activated lymphocytes, has been defined as a 12 kDa protein, expressed in a wide variety of tissues. Here MIF is identified as a phenylpyruvate tautomerase (EC 5.3.2.1) having p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate and phenylpyruvate as its natural substrates. The definition of MIF as an enzyme may yield insight into the mechanism of action of this proinflammatory and immunomodulating cytokine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rosengren
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thelin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hansson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahlfors
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Björk
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jacobsson
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rorsman
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D006801:Humans; D045563:Indolequinones; D007211:Indoles / Q000378:metabolism; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010667:Phenylpyruvic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D011809:Quinones / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D045563:Indolequinones; D007211:Indoles; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D010667:Phenylpyruvic Acids; D011809:Quinones; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C010590:4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid; C001123:dopachrome; C030692:5,6-dihydroxy-2-indolylcarboxylic acid; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases; C022346:phenylpyruvate tautomerase; C031606:phenylpyruvic acid