The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
To investigate the response of Streptococcus pneumoniae to three distinct antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), bacitracin, nisin, and LL-37, transcriptome analysis of challenged bacteria was performed. Only a limited number of genes were found to be up- or…
To evaluate the association of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and vitamin D receptors (VDRs) in psoriasis, lesional (PP) and perilesional skin (PN) from psoriasis, atopic dermatitis (AD) patients and healthy controls (NN) w…
Over the past 2 years there has been a radical change in standard clinical practice with respect to vitamin D. As a result of a growing body of knowledgeable physicians are assessing the vitamin D nutritional status of their patients and prescribing…
BACKGROUND: Vitamin D insufficiency is common in industrialized and developing nations. Recent studies have shown that vitamin D insufficiency is associated with a higher risk of active tuberculosis. Laboratory studies provided a mechanism for this l…
Cathelicidins, a family of host defense peptides, are highly expressed during infection, inflammation and wound healing. These peptides not only have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities, but also modulate inflammation by altering cytokine respons…
Fowlicidin-1 is a newly identified alpha-helical cathelicidin host defense peptide. We have shown that fowlicidin-1 possesses potent antibacterial activity, but also displays considerable toxicity toward mammalian cells. To further identify fowlicidi…
Recurrent skin infection is one of the major complications of atopic dermatitis and can be partly explained by decreased expression of antimicrobial peptides such as human beta-defensin-2 and cathelicidin (LL-37). In the human epidermis, human beta-d…
Streptococcal inhibitor of complement (SIC) is a highly polymorphic extracellular protein and putative virulence factor secreted by M1 and M57 strains of group A Streptococcus (GAS). The sic gene is highly upregulated in invasive M1T1 GAS isolates fo…
Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs), a component of the mammalian immune system, protect the host from bacterial infections. The roles of the Escherichia coli transcriptional regulators MarA, SoxS and Rob in susceptibility to these peptides were…
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…
The human cathelicidin LL-37 has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. It also participates at the interface of innate and adaptive immunity by chemoattracting immune effector cells, modulating the production of a variety of inflammatory mediators b…
Polyamines are biogenic polycationic molecules involved in key cellular functions. Extracellular polyamines found in bodily fluids or laboratory media can be imported by bacteria or bind to negatively charged bacterial surface structures, where they…
There is mounting evidence that periodontal disease (PD) is linked to low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in addition to recognized risk factors like diet and smoking. This paper reviews this evidence using Hill's criteria for caus…
In in vitro co-culture experiments, the ovine-derived cathelicidin OaBac5mini showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli cells and modulated production of a cytokine by a mammalian inflammatory cell type (macrophage). Using atomic force m…
Campylobacter jejuni is a highly prevalent human pathogen for which pathogenic and stress survival strategies remain relatively poorly understood. We previously found that a C. jejuni strain 81-176 mutant defective for key virulence and stress surviv…
Antimicrobial peptides are predominantly small cationic polypeptides that are classified together on the basis of these molecules to directly kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms including mycobacteria, and to activate mechanisms of cellular…
The human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 is a cationic peptide with antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. This work describes the development of an expression system based on Escherichia coli capable of high…
The structure and function of the synthetic innate defense regulator peptide 1018 was investigated. This 12 residue synthetic peptide derived by substantial modification of the bovine cathelicidin bactenecin has enhanced innate immune regulatory and…
Cathelicidin peptides play key roles in host responses to infection. Radek and colleagues (2010) demonstrate that the nicotinic acetylcholine system, activated during stress, suppresses production of mouse cathelicidin, increasing host susceptibility…
OBJECTIVE: To review the current literature on vitamin D and asthma, discussing the possible roles of vitamin D on asthma pathogenesis and the potential consequences of vitamin D deficiency. DATA SOURCES: PubMed database was searched from 1950 to 200…