CD71+ cells (white blood cells with the protein CD71 on their surace) – they suppress the immune response of surrounding white blood cells. Most of the white blood cells of a newborn are these cell until 3 weeks after birth.
Anyways, these cells affect other immune cells through an enzyme called arginase, which metabolizes the amino acid arginine.
Baby formulas contain small amounts of arginine. Sidney Morris, a biochemist from the University of Pittsburgh, said that it may be important to avoid fortifying them with extra arginine, lest it swamps the arginase activity of CD71+ cells, releases the immune system, and causes problems for the developing infants’ guts. Yeah, that’s right, you don’t want to infants under 3 weeks old to have a strong immune system. It would provoke loads of inflammation and a poor gut bacteria colonization result.
Morris also noted that people who suffer physical traumas, and those with cancer, often have higher levels of arginase and weaker immune systems. “Whether the precise mechanism of immunosuppression is the same or different in each of these circumstances remains to be determined,” he said.
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