Peritoneal macrophages suppress T-cell activation by amino acid catabolism

T-lymphocyte activation triggered by anti-CD3, endogenous or exogenous superantigen, and mitogens was suppressed in a cell-dose-dependent fashion by peritoneal cavity (PerC) leucocytes. Study of lymphocyte-deficient mice and the use of multiparameter fluorescence-activated cell sorter analyses revealed that macrophages were responsible for this form of immune regulation. Interferon-gamma was essential to trigger suppression, which, by enzyme inhibition studies, was shown to be the result of tryptophan and arginine catabolism. These results illustrate that macrophages, which are classically defined by their innate effector function as antigen-presenting cells, have the potential to temper adaptive immunity.