The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) protein is crucial to homeostasis of normal intestinal epithelia because it suppresses the β-catenin/TCF pathway. Consequently, loss or mutation of the APC gene causes colorectal tumors in humans and mice. Here, w…
PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate whether flagellin, the sole ligand of Toll-like receptor-5 (TLR5), induces an innate defense that is sufficient to protect injured corneas from Candida albicans. METHODS: Scarified corneas of adult B6,…
In humans, the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) are important proinflammatory mediators, whereas lipoxin A(4) (LXA(4)) and resolvin E1 (RvE1) possess anti-inflammatory, proresolving properties. Previously, we reported that LT…
The external auditory canal is vulnerable to bacterial infections, but little is known about thechemical compositions of ear wax regarding antimicrobial peptides. We, therefore, studied the proteinconcentrations of ten well-known human antimicrobial…
Genital tract infections caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis serovars D to K occur at high incidence in many areas of the world. Despite high rates of coinfection with these pathogens, investigations of host-parasite interaction…
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Vitamin D regulates the production of the antimicrobial peptides cathelicidin and beta-defensin-2, which play an important role in the innate immune response to infection. We hypothesized that vitamin D deficiency would be a…
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a clinically defined, highly pruritic, chronic inflammatory skin disease. In AD patients, the combination of a genetic predisposition for skin barrier dysfunction and dysfunctional innate and adaptive immune responses leads…
BACKGROUND: Chronic, infected wounds typically contain multiple genera of bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, many of which are strong biofilm formers. Bacterial biofilms are thought to be a direct impediment to wound healing. New therapies th…
The scaffolding adaptor protein p62/SQSTM1 (p62) has been shown to be an autophagy receptor that acts as a link between the ubiquitination and autophagy machineries. However, the roles of autophagy and p62 in human keratinocytes are not well understo…
Tick saliva has potent immunomodulatory properties. In arthropod-borne diseases, this effect is largely used by microorganisms to increase their pathogenicity and to evade host immune responses. We show that in Lyme borreliosis, tick salivary gland e…
LL-37 is a human cationic host defense peptide (antimicrobial peptide) belonging to the cathelicidin family of peptides. In this study, LL-37 was shown to kill stimulated CD8(+) T cells (Cytotoxic T lymphocytes; CTLs) via apoptosis, while having no c…
AIMS: Ceragenin CSA-13 is a synthetic mimic of cationic antibacterial peptides, with facial amphiphilic morphology reproduced using a cholic acid scaffold. Previous data have shown that this molecule displays broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, wh…
BACKGROUND: The antimicrobial peptide, leucine-leucine-37 (LL-37), stimulates proliferation, angiogenesis, and cellular migration, inhibits apoptosis and is associated with inflammation. Since these functional processes are often exaggerated in cance…
Cathelicidins were initially characterized as a family of antimicrobial peptides. Now it is clear that they fulfill several immune functions in addition to their antimicrobial activity. In the current work, three cDNA sequences encoding pheasant cath…
Chemerin, a ligand for the G-protein coupled receptor chemokine-like receptor 1, requires C-terminal proteolytic processing to unleash its chemoattractant activity. Proteolytically processed chemerin selectively attracts specific subsets of immunoreg…
OBJECTIVE: To determine alterations in quantities and distributions of natural antimicrobials following ischemia-reperfusion injury. We hypothesized that these compounds would be upregulated in areas of small intestine where changes in permeability a…
The aim of the present study was to examine whether amount of oral antimicrobial components, human β-defensin-2 (HBD-2), cathelicidin (LL-37), and immunoglobulin A (IgA), might be affected by prolonged strenuous exercise. Ten young male volunteers ei…
A truncated version of host defense peptide chicken cathelicidin-2, C1-15, possesses potent, broad spectrum antibacterial activity. A variant of this peptide, F(2,5,12)W, which contains 3 phenylalanine to tryptophan substitutions, possesses improved…
In the present study, we designed a novel targeted multi-functional fusion protein LHAD composed of LL-37, FXa recognition peptide, hirudin-12-residue, AAP, and RGD peptide. It was expressed in the Pichia pastoris GS115 strain and purified by affinit…
Cathelicidins are a family of host defence peptides that are known to selectively alter innate immunity in response to infection and other changes in immune status. A study in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology elucidates a new role for…