The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
BMAP-27 is a cathelicidin-derived bovine antimicrobial peptide, which shows moderate cytotoxicity and potent antibacterial activity against a wide variety of microorganisms. Despite a number of studies, very little is known about the amino acid seque…
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: LL-37 is the only member of the cathelicidin family of host defence peptides expressed in humans. It is primarily produced by phagocytic leucocytes and epithelial cells, and mediates a wide range of biological responses: direct kil…
Cathelicidins (CATHLs) are small, cationic antimicrobial peptides that establish an early innate immune defense against infections in mammals. Beyond their wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity, these peptides play important roles in wound repair,…
BACKGROUND: Human cathelicidin antimicrobial protein (hCAP18) is an antimicrobial and immunomodulatory peptide that has pleiotropic effects and is transcriptionally regulated by vitamin D. Because the administration of vitamin D analogues has been li…
The human cationic host defense peptide LL-37 has a broad range of immunomodulatory, anti-infective functions. A synthetic innate defense regulator peptide, innate defense regulator 1 (IDR-1), based conceptually on LL-37, was recently shown to select…
Neutrophils kill invading pathogens by AMPs, including cathelicidins, ROS, and NETs. The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus exhibits enhanced resistance to neutrophil AMPs, including the murine cathelicidin CRAMP, in part, as a result of alanylatio…
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…
There is an urgent need for innovative therapies against ovarian cancer, one of the leading causes of death from gynecological cancers in the United States. Immunotherapy employing Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, such as CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (…
Human neutrophil peptides (HNPs) and the human cathelicidin LL-37 are antimicrobial peptides secreted by neutrophils, which play a crucial role in innate immune responses. The aim of this study was to establish a new method for ProteinChip arrays in…
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;…
The human cathelicidin LL-37 is one of the major antimicrobial peptides of the non-specific innate immune system in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Its expression has been reported in epithelial cells infected with mycobacteria. However, the un…
We hypothesize a potential role for Borrelia burgdorferi OspC in innate immune evasion at the initial stage of mammalian infection. We demonstrate that B. burgdorferi is resistant to high levels (>200 microg/ml) of cathelicidin and that this antimicr…
LL-37 is a human host defence peptide that has a wide range of biological functions, including antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. This review summarises how molecular structure influences the balance between the immunomodulatory and antim…
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…
There are many factors in mucosal secretions that contribute to innate immunity and the 'first line of defence' at mucosal surfaces. Few studies, however, have investigated the effects of exercise on many of these 'defence' factors. The aim of the pr…
Pathogenic bacteria have evolved numerous mechanisms to evade the human immune system and have developed widespread resistance to traditional antibiotics. We studied the human pathogen Neisseria meningitidis and present evidence of novel mechanisms o…
We have shown that activin A, a cytokine implicated in regulating B-cell proliferation, is severely deficient in alveolar macrophages from patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP), an autoimmune disorder characterized by surfactant accumula…
The human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL-37 is involved in various aspects of skin biology, including protection against infection, wound healing, and also in psoriasis. The tight regulation of apoptosis is critical in tissue repair and its de…