title: A liver-derived immunosuppressive factor is an arginase: identification and mechanism of immunosuppression.
abstract: We found a substance in culture medium of neonatal pig liver fragments, which suppresses an immune response monitored by (3)H-thymidine incorporation using phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated lymphocytes. We named it as an immunosuppressive factor (ISF). To purify ISF, ammonium sulfate fractionation, DE52, SP-Sephadex, hydroxyapatite, blue Sepharose, heparin Sepharose and Superdex gel filtration columns were used. Using these purification procedures, ISF was purified 1,254-fold, with 9.2% recovery, from the culture medium of neonatal pig liver fragments, and was identified as arginase by its biochemical characteristics including molecular size, amino acid sequences of digested peptides and expression of arginase activity. The addition of ISF caused to decrease in arginine concentration in culture medium and at the same time DNA synthesis was suppressed dose-dependently, both of which were recovered by the addition of NOHA (N(G)-hydroxy-L-arginine), an arginase inhibitor. In addition, the depletion of arginine in culture medium also led to the inhibition of DNA synthesis. These results led us to the conclusion that immunosuppressive effect of ISF was due to arginase activity that decreased arginine concentration in culture medium, not to another function of ISF.
authors: Department of Surgical Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors: Yasuo
authors: Y
authors: Ohtani
authors: Mineyoshi
authors: M
authors: Hiyoshi
authors: Tomoichi
authors: T
authors: Ohkubo
authors: Kimiyoshi
authors: K
authors: Tsuji
authors: Masao
authors: M
authors: Hagihara
authors: Hisao
authors: H
authors: Nakasaki
authors: Hiroyasu
authors: H
authors: Makuuchi
authors: Naruhiko
authors: N
authors: Nagata
authors: Tetsuya
authors: T
authors: Mine
authors: Shigeo
authors: S
authors: Takada
authors: Masaichi
authors: M
authors: Yamamura
authors: Michio
authors: M
authors: Tsuda
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001119:Arginase / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology*; D001120:Arginine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D001120:Arginine; D001119:Arginase