The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
Gp91(phox)/NADPH oxidase (NOX) 2 is the main catalytic component of NOX, which mediates the phagocytic killing of ingested pathogens via the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is relatively resistan…
Cathelicidins are mammalian defense peptides with direct antimicrobial activity and the potential to exert other immunomodulatory effects during the innate immune response. One such function of human cathelicidin is direct binding and inhibition of b…
BACKGROUND: Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory T cell-driven sclerotic skin condition in which skin barrier disruption frequently occurs. Inflamed and injured epithelia are a particularly rich source of antimicrobial peptides and protein…
We investigated the hypothesis that transmigration drives monocyte transcriptional changes. Using Agilent whole human genome microarrays, we identified over 692 differentially expressed genes (2x, P<0.05) in freshly isolated human monocytes following…
Fowlicidins are a group of newly identified chicken cathelicidin host defense peptides. We have shown that the putatively mature fowlicidin-2 of 31 amino acid residues possesses potent antibacterial and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- neutralizing activiti…
Streptococcus salivarius inhibits the growth of Streptococcus pyogenes in vitro. Streptococcus pyogenes has various virulence factors, including the streptococcus inhibitor of complement (SIC). Although SIC inhibits the activity of the peptides LL-37…
Incorporation of the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 (LLGDFFRKSKEKIGKEFKRIVQRIKDFLRNLVPRTES), as well as low molecular weight antimicrobial chlorhexidine, into mesoporous silica was obtained using an EISA one-pot synthesis method. FTIR confirmed efficien…
Immunoglobulin D (IgD) is an enigmatic antibody isotype that mature B cells express together with IgM through alternative RNA splicing. Here we report active T cell-dependent and T cell-independent IgM-to-IgD class switching in B cells of the human u…
High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) is extracellularly released from mononuclear phagocytes by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulation accompanied with cell death, and plays an important role in septic/endotoxin shock as a late phase mediator. Notably, CA…
Cathelicidins are important components of the innate immune system and have been identified in skin and epithelia of a range of mammals. In this study molecular techniques, including RACE-PCR, were used to identify the full cDNA sequence of a catheli…
Psoriasis is initiated and maintained through a multifaceted interplay between keratinocytes, blood vessels, gene expression, and the immune system. One previous psoriasis model demonstrated that overexpression of the angiopoietin receptor Tie2 in en…
BACKGROUND: Due to increasing resistance development among bacteria, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), are receiving increased attention. Ideally, AMP should display high bactericidal potency, but low toxicity against (human) eukaryotic cells. Additiona…
BACKGROUND: Bovine tuberculosis is a highly prevalent infectious disease of cattle worldwide; however, infection in the United States is limited to 0.01% of dairy herds. Thus detection of bovine TB is confounded by high background infection with M. a…
Bactericidal activities of neutrophils occur by two distinctive mechanisms that are oxygen-dependent and -independent. Human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide 18 (hCAP18), also known as LL-37/FALL-39, is a neutrophil-specific granule protein. We com…
LL-37, derived from human cathelicidin, stimulates immune responses in neutrophils. Although FPR2 and P2X7 were proposed as LL-37 receptors, we have shown that among 21 neutrophil receptors only CXCR2 was down-regulated by LL-37. LL-37 functions simi…
BACKGROUND: About 45% of the human genome is comprised of mobile transposable elements or "junk DNA". The exaptation or co-option of these elements to provide important cellular functions is hypothesized to have played a powerful force in evolution;…
BACKGROUND: Little information is available the role of Nitric Oxide (NO) in host defenses during human tuberculosis (TB) infection. We investigated the modulating factor(s) affecting NO synthase (iNOS) induction in human macrophages. METHODS: Both i…
The immune system is very complex, it involves the integrated regulation and expression of hundreds of proteins. To understand in greater detail how the human host defence immunomodulatory peptide LL-37 interacts with innate immunity, a systems appro…
Burkholderia cenocepacia secretes two zinc-dependent metalloproteases, designated ZmpA and ZmpB. Previously, ZmpA and ZmpB have been shown to cleave several proteins important in host defence. In this study, the ability of ZmpA and ZmpB to digest and…