Tuftsin: a hormone-like tetrapeptide with antimicrobial and antitumor activities

Journal Article · Mon Mar 09 00:00:00 EST 1981 · Life Sci.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(81)90684-6· OSTI ID:5764350

Nishioka, K ^[1]; Amoscato, A A; Babcock, G F

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1. M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Inst., Houston, TX

A specific fraction of immunoglobulin G binds to polymorphonuclear neutrophils and stimulates their phagocytic activity. This phagocytosis-stimulating activity resides solely in a small peptide termed tuftsin, of the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg, which has been isolated from the leukophilic immunoglobulin G fraction. The physiological significance of tuftsin has been demonstrated in splenectomized patients and patients with a congenital tuftsin abnormality, in whom the low levels of tuftsin in sera (measurable by radioimmunoassay) coincides with a high incidence of infection. Tuftsin has also been shown to enhance bactericidal activity in addition to phagocytosis. Its biological activities appear to be mediated via specific tuftsin receptors which have been found on macrophages, monocytes and granulocytes. In addition, tuftsin possesses chemotactic, migration-enhancing and mitogenic properties for leukocytes and has recently been shown to enhance their anti-tumor activity in vitro as well as in vivo. Other known activities of tuftsin include effects on the activity of the hexose monophosphate shunt, on the concentrations of intracellular cyclic nucleotides and on the efflux of Ca/sup 2 +/ in leukocytes. Tuftsin has been chemically synthesized in various laboratories using different procedures and also is available commercially. The above features of tuftsin plus the expected low toxicity of this peptide make tuftsin a very attractive agent for immunotherapy against infection and cancer. However, a great deal of caution needs to be exercised when using tuftsin due to inhibitory contaminants found in certain commercial preparations.

• OSTI ID: 5764350
• Journal Information: Life Sci.; (United States), Vol. 28:10
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
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STIMULATION
PEPTIDES
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY
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PHAGOCYTOSIS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
IMMUNOGLOBULINS
IMMUNOTHERAPY
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LEUKOCYTES
QUALITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
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BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
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DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
GLOBULINS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROTEINS
RADIOASSAY
RADIOISOTOPES
THERAPY
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