Gut metaproteomics shows increased arginine catabolism and decreased arginine biosynthesis in systemic lupus erythematosus

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Quantitative fecal metaproteomics of 103 SLE patients and 62 controls found reduced abundance of the arginine-biosynthesis enzyme ArgG—driven mainly by depletion of Ruminococcus—concurrent with upregulation of arginine-catabolic enzymes and IMPDH across diverse taxa. The study suggests that loss of a lineage-restricted arginine biosynthetic function may reduce microbial arginine availability and provide a mechanistic link to arginine-dependent T cell dysfunction in SLE.

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