Identification and purification of arginine deiminase that originated from Mycoplasma arginini

A lymphocyte blastogenesis inhibitory factor, (LBIF), was purified from the culture supernatant of human histiocytic lymphoma U937 by fast protein liquid chromatography. In this study, we demonstrated, first, that LBIF originated from a mycoplasma, Mycoplasma arginini, infecting U937 cells, and second, that LBIF bore the arginine deiminase activity. The implication of in vivo immunosuppression induced by arginine-utilizing mycoplasma species is discussed.