title: Protein arginine methylation: a new handle on T lymphocytes?
abstract: Protein arginine methylation has emerged as a key regulator of signal transduction with an important role in T lymphocyte activation. The predominant methyl transferase PRMT-1 is highly expressed in T helper cells, and ligation of the T cell antigen and costimulatory receptors, induces arginine methylation on several cytoplasmic proteins. Global inhibition of methyl transferases can result in signaling defects in CD4 T cells and profound immunosuppression. Here we suggest that manipulating protein arginine methylation could be a feasible strategy to modulate T lymphocyte function, presenting a novel approach towards immunotherapy and the treatment of T cell-mediated disorders such as autoimmune disease and transplant rejection.
authors.affiliation: Inflammatory Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom. R.V.Parry@bath.ac.uk
authors.forename: Richard V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Parry
authors.forename: Stephen G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism*; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008745:Methylation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D001120:Arginine