The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
Host defence peptides (HDPs) are considered to be excellent candidates for the development of novel therapeutic agents. Recently, it was demonstrated that the peptide C1-15, an N-terminal segment of chicken HDP cathelicidin-2, exhibits potent antibac…
Taking into account the role of mast cells in different physiological and pathological processes, as well as in host defense it seems very important to recognize mast cell receptors and their role in activation of these cells. In the last few years i…
Cathelicidin has dual functions in the skin, acting as an innate antibiotic and as an immunomodulator in diseases such as rosacea and psoriasis. The serine proteases kallikrein 5 (KLK5) and kallikrein 7 (KLK7) control enzymatic processing of cathelic…
INTRODUCTION: At the turn of the twentieth century, ultraviolet light was successfully used to treat tuberculosis of the skin. Upper respiratory tract infections had been inversely associated with sun exposure. During the last decade, basic scientifi…
The human cathelicidin LL-37, a pleiotropic host defense peptide, is down-regulated in gastric adenocarcinomas. We therefore investigated whether this peptide suppresses gastric cancer growth. LL-37 lowered gastric cancer cell proliferation and delay…
Antimicrobial peptides play an important role in host defense against pathogens. Recently, phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) from Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) were shown to interact with lipid membranes, form complexes, and exert antimicr…
Group A Streptococcus is a leading human pathogen associated with a diverse array of mucosal and systemic infections. Cell wall anchored pili were recently described in several species of pathogenic streptococci, and in the case of GAS, these surface…
Tannerella forsythia is a gram-negative bacterium strongly associated with the development and/or progression of periodontal disease. Here, we have shown that a newly characterized matrix metalloprotease-like enzyme, referred to as karilysin, efficie…
BACKGROUND: Bone generation and maintenance involve osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteocytes which originate from unique precursors and rely on key growth factors for differentiation. However, an incomplete understanding of bone forming cells during…
Factor H binding protein (fHBP) is a surface-exposed lipoprotein in Neisseria meningitidis, which is a component of several investigational vaccines against serogroup B meningococcus (MenB) currently in development. fHBP enables the bacterium to evad…
Defensins are widespread in nature and have activity against a broad range of pathogens. Defensins have direct antimicrobial effects and also modulate innate and adaptive immune responses. We consider the role of human defensins and the cathelicidin…
Epithelial cells (ECs) are usually hyporesponsive to various microbial products. Detection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the major component of gram-negative bacteria, is impeded, at least in part, by intracellular sequestration of its receptor, Toll-…
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent discoveries cast doubt on granuloma formation solely as a protective mechanism, and highlight the importance of innate immunity of the host response to pathogenic mycobacteria. Here, we briefly review evidence that mycobacte…
Vitamin D signaling through its nuclear vitamin D receptor has emerged as a key regulator of innate immunity in humans. Here we show that hormonal vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3), robustly stimulates expression of pattern recognition receptor N…
Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) has been known to produce various exogenous proteases, however, their role in acne pathogenesis remains largely unknown. Proteases elicit cellular responses, at least in part, via proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PA…
In human monocytes, Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/1 activation leads to vitamin D3-dependent antimycobacterial activities, but the molecular mechanisms by which TLR2/1 stimulation induces antimicrobial activities against mycobacteria remain unclear. Her…
The cathelicidin derived human peptide LL37 has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities. The large variety of biological activities makes LL37 a very promising candidate for clinical applications. The production of biologica…
Recent in vivo studies indicate that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may have beneficial effects in the treatment of sepsis induced by bacterial infection. Administration of MSCs in these studies improved survival and enhanced bacterial clearance. The…
Defensins were first identified in 1985 and are now recognized as part of a large family of antimicrobial peptides, divided into three categories: alpha-, beta-, and -defensins. These defensin classes differ in structure, sites of expression and biol…
BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests cathelicidin LL-37 to be a growth factor for various human cancers such as lung cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. However, the effect of LL-37 against malignant skin cancer has not been reported. OBJECTIVE…