Editing Ornithine decarboxylase (section)

== Immunological significance ==
In antigen-activated T cells, ODC enzymatic activity increases after activation, which corresponds with increase in polyamine synthesis in T cells after activation.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hesterberg RS, Cleveland JL, Epling-Burnette PK | title = Role of Polyamines in Immune Cell Functions | journal = Medical Sciences | volume = 6 | issue = 1 | pages = 22 | date = March 2018 | pmid = 29517999 | pmc = 5872179 | doi = 10.3390/medsci6010022 | doi-access = free }}</ref> As with ODC and cancer, [[MYC]], also referred to as c-Myc for cellular Myc, is the master regulator of polyamine biosynthesis in T cells.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Miller DM, Thomas SD, Islam A, Muench D, Sedoris K | title = c-Myc and cancer metabolism | journal = Clinical Cancer Research | volume = 18 | issue = 20 | pages = 5546–5553 | date = October 2012 | pmid = 23071356 | pmc = 3505847 | doi = 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-12-0977 }}</ref>

A 2020 study by Wu et al. using T-cell specific ''ODC'' cKO mice showed that T cells can function and proliferate normally ''in vivo'' and other polyamine synthesis pathways can compensate for lack of ODC.<ref name="Wu_2020">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wu R, Chen X, Kang S, Wang T, Gnanaprakasam JR, Yao Y, Liu L, Fan G, Burns MR, Wang R | display-authors = 6 | title = De novo synthesis and salvage pathway coordinately regulate polyamine homeostasis and determine T cell proliferation and function | journal = Science Advances | volume = 6 | issue = 51 | date = December 2020 | pmid = 33328226 | doi = 10.1126/sciadv.abc4275 | pmc = 7744078 | bibcode = 2020SciA....6.4275W }}</ref> However, blocking polyamine synthesis via ODC with DMFO and polyamine uptake with AMXT 1501 depleted the polyamine pool and inhibited T-cell proliferation and suppressed T-cell inflammation.<ref name="Wu_2020" />

Recent studies have shown the importance of ODC and polyamine synthesis in [[T helper cell]] fate commitment.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Shi H, Chi H | title = Polyamine: A metabolic compass for T helper cell fate direction | journal = Cell | volume = 184 | issue = 16 | pages = 4109–4112 | date = August 2021 | pmid = 34358466 | doi = 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.012 | doi-access = free }}</ref> A 2021 study by Puleston et al. showed that [[Th1 cell|T<sub>H</sub>1]] and [[Th2|T<sub>H</sub>2]] cells express higher levels of ODC than [[Regulatory T cell|regulatory T]] (T<sub>reg</sub>) cells and [[T helper 17 cell|T<sub>H</sub>17]] cells, which corresponded to higher levels of polyamine biosynthesis in T<sub>H</sub>1 and T<sub>H</sub>2.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Puleston DJ, Baixauli F, Sanin DE, Edwards-Hicks J, Villa M, Kabat AM, Kamiński MM, Stanckzak M, Weiss HJ, Grzes KM, Piletic K, Field CS, Corrado M, Haessler F, Wang C, Musa Y, Schimmelpfennig L, Flachsmann L, Mittler G, Yosef N, Kuchroo VK, Buescher JM, Balabanov S, Pearce EJ, Green DR, Pearce EL | display-authors = 6 | title = Polyamine metabolism is a central determinant of helper T cell lineage fidelity | journal = Cell | volume = 184 | issue = 16 | pages = 4186–4202.e20 | date = August 2021 | pmid = 34216540 | pmc = 8358979 | doi = 10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.007 }}</ref> A 2021 study by Wagner et al. showed a promotion of a Treg program in ''Odc1''<sup>-/-</sup> mice.<ref name="Wagner_2021">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wagner A, Wang C, Fessler J, DeTomaso D, Avila-Pacheco J, Kaminski J, Zaghouani S, Christian E, Thakore P, Schellhaass B, Akama-Garren E, Pierce K, Singh V, Ron-Harel N, Douglas VP, Bod L, Schnell A, Puleston D, Sobel RA, Haigis M, Pearce EL, Soleimani M, Clish C, Regev A, Kuchroo VK, Yosef N | display-authors = 6 | title = Metabolic modeling of single Th17 cells reveals regulators of autoimmunity | journal = Cell | volume = 184 | issue = 16 | pages = 4168–4185.e21 | date = August 2021 | pmid = 34216539 | pmc = 8621950 | doi = 10.1016/j.cell.2021.05.045 }}</ref> They concluded that polyamine-related enzyme expression was enhanced in pathogenic T<sub>H</sub>17 and suppressed in Treg cells.<ref name="Wagner_2021" />