Study of the influence of arginine metabolism on the immunometabolic profile of macrophages

• Grant number: 21/01147-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: May 01, 2021
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Licio Augusto Velloso
• Grantee: Ana Julia Estumano Martins
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07607-8 - OCRC - Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center, AP.CEPID

Abstract

Mitochondria is an organelle that is involved in metabolic processes, in different organisms, from the simplest to the most complex. This important organelle is linked to cellular processes such as: partition in energy metabolism, regulation of important processes for the cell, such as autophagy and lipid synthesis, recent studies have shown that mitochondria have an important role in immunity. Immune response cells, such as macrophages, are extremely dependent on mitochondrial function, with mitochondria as a key organelle for the regulation of the immune response. Macrophages have numerous functions, including phagocytosis, presentation of antigens and production of cytokines. Arginine is an amino acid that is involved in the immune response of macrophages and in the complex function of mitochondria. However, the use of this amino acid by macrophages / monocytes and by mitochondria is not completely elucidated. Literature data indicate that the inhibition of arginase increases the synthesis of Nitric Oxide (NO) in activated macrophages, and the activity of arginase may be an important factor in the regulation of NO synthesis during activation of immune cells. It is not yet clear how these mechanisms influence each other. It is important to understand how the mitochondrial dynamics affects and is affected by arginine metabolism, considering that these are important aspects for the development of diseases, which can become a new therapeutic target in both metabolic and infectious diseases. The objective of the project is to analyze the influence of arginine on mitochondrial metabolism, on the immune response of macrophages and how arginine metabolism is modulated in a model of Obesity-induced insulin resistance and infection by the protozoan Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DOS REIS, LARISSA MENEZES; BERCOT, MARCELO RODRIGUES; CASTELUCCI, BIANCA GAZIERI; MARTINS, ANA JULIA ESTUMANO; CASTRO, GISELE; MORAES-VIEIRA, PEDRO M. M.. Immunometabolic Signature during Respiratory Viral Infection: A Potential Target for Host-Directed Therapies. Viruses-Basel, v. 15, n. 2, p. 32-pg., 2023-02-01. (20/09535-8, 19/25973-8, 20/16030-0, 21/01147-1)