Journal of Inflammation Research (May 2022)
The Influence of Arginine Methylation in Immunity and Inflammation
Abstract
Nivine Srour,1,2,* Sarah Khan,1,2,* Stephane Richard1,2 1Segal Cancer Centre, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1E2, Canada; 2Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology, and Departments of Biochemistry, Human Genetics, and Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1E2, Canada*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Stephane Richard, Email [email protected]: Exploration in the field of epigenetics has revealed that protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) contribute to disease, and this has given way to the development of specific small molecule compounds that inhibit arginine methylation. Protein arginine methylation is known to regulate fundamental cellular processes, such as transcription; pre-mRNA splicing and other RNA processing mechanisms; signal transduction, including the anti-viral response; and cellular metabolism. PRMTs are also implicated in the regulation of physiological processes, including embryonic development, myogenesis, and the immune system. Finally, the dysregulation of PRMTs is apparent in cancer, neurodegeneration, muscular disorders, and during inflammation. Herein, we review the functions of PRMTs in immunity and inflammation. We also discuss recent progress with PRMTs regarding the modulation of gene expression related to T and B lymphocyte differentiation, germinal center dynamics, and anti-viral signaling responses, as well as the clinical relevance of using PRMT inhibitors alone or in combination with other drugs to treat cancer, immune, and inflammatory-related diseases.Keywords: PRMTs, epigenetics, histones, arginine methylation, immune, inflammation
