The study, conducted in mice, is the first to show that creatine uptake is critical to the anti-tumor activities of what is known as killer T cells, the foot soldiers of the immune system.
Arginase deficiency, which is caused by a missing or mutated version of the arginase gene, ARG1, affects about one of every 1 million babies in the U.S.
A Finnish study that included researchers from UCLA harnessed the DNA from nearly 20,000 people to identify genetic mutations that may increase the risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and other diseases and conditions.
The findings have implications for the conservation of rare and endangered species, in which low genetic diversity could increase the odds of extinction.