You are what you eat and translate: Feeding the code to fight cancer and viruses.

Extracellular arginine directly alters the tRNA-codon axis, modulating immune gene translation independently of amino acid stress signals, impacting cancer and viral defenses.

• Why it matters: Understanding how nutrients influence gene expression is crucial for developing targeted therapies against diseases like cancer and viral infections, where immune regulation is vital.
• What they did: Wu et al. examined the effect of extracellular arginine on the tRNA-codon axis and its role in controlling the translation of major histocompatibility complex class I mRNA, using molecular and cellular approaches.
• The result: This nutrient-sensing pathway offers new avenues for therapeutic strategies by manipulating immune responses in colorectal cancer and viral infections.