Different Partners, Opposite Outcomes: A New Perspective of the Immunobiology of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase

作者:Orabona Ciriana*; Pallotta Maria Teresa; Grohmann Ursula
来源:Molecular Medicine, 2012, 18(5): 834-842.
DOI:10.2119/molmed.2012.00029

摘要

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), a metabolic enzyme that catalyzes tryptophan conversion into kynurenines, is a crucial regulator of immunity. Altered IDO activity is often associated with pathology, including neoplasia and autoimmunity. IDO is highly expressed in dendritic cells (DCs) that exploit the enzyme%26apos;s activity and the production of tryptophan catabolites to regulate immune responses by acting on several cell types, including T lymphocytes, of which they promote a regulatory phenotype. IDO also contains immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIMs) that, once bound by distinct molecular partners, will either promote degradation or initiate signaling activity and self-maintenance of the enzyme. We here discuss how ITIM-dependent molecular events can affect the functional plasticity of IDO by modifying the protein half-life and its enzymic and nonenzymic functions. Online address: http://www.molmed.org doi: 10.2119/molmed.2012.00029

  • 出版日期2012-5