The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
Antimicrobial peptide LL-37 plays an important role in human body's first line of defense against infection. To better understand the mechanism of action, it is critical to elucidate the three-dimensional structure of LL-37 in complex with bacterial…
Previously, we revealed that a cationic antibacterial polypeptide of 11 kDa (CAP11), a member of the cathelicidins isolated from guinea pig neutrophils, exhibits not only potent antibacterial activity but also lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-neutralizing ac…
Immune defence against microbes depends in part on the production of antimicrobial peptides, a process that occurs in a variety of cell types but is incompletely understood. In this study, the mechanisms responsible for the induction of cathelicidin…
PBP 10, an antibacterial, cell membrane-permeant rhodamine B-conjugated peptide derived from the polyphosphoinositide binding site of gelsolin, interacts selectively with both lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA), the distinct compon…
Immaturity of innate immunity contributes to the increased susceptibility of human neonates to infection. The lung is a major portal of entry for potential pathogens in the neonate, and human beta-defensins (HBDs) and LL-37 participate in pulmonary i…
The effects of antimicrobial peptides on artificial membranes have been well-documented; however, reports on the ultrastructural effects on the membranes of micro-organisms are relatively scarce. We compared the effects of histatin 5 and LL-37, two a…
LL-37 is a human cationic host defense peptide that is an essential component of innate immunity. In addition to its modest antimicrobial activity, LL-37 affects the gene expression and behavior of effector cells involved in the innate immune respons…
Antimicrobial peptides, which have been isolated from many bacteria, fungi, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, are an important component of the natural defenses of most living organisms. The isolated peptides are very heterogeneous in length, se…
BACKGROUND: Interest in airways inflammatory disease has increasingly focused on innate immunity. We investigated several components of innate immunity in induced sputum of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), COPD, and asthma, and healthy control sub…
Stress responses of Bacillus subtilis to membrane-active cationic antimicrobial peptides were studied. Global analysis of gene expression by DNA macroarray showed that peptides at a subinhibitory concentration activated numerous genes. A prominent pa…
BACKGROUND: The antibacterial activity of host defense peptides (HDP) is largely mediated by permeabilization of bacterial membranes. The lipid membrane of enveloped viruses might also be a target of antimicrobial peptides. Therefore, we screened a p…
Host defense peptides (often called cationic antimicrobial peptides) have pleiotropic immunomodulatory functions. The human host defense peptide LL-37 is up-regulated at sites of infection and has little or no antimicrobial activity in tissue-culture…
In addition to its physical barrier against invading microorganisms, the skin produces antimicrobial peptides, human beta-defensins (hBDs) and cathelicidin LL-37, that participate in the innate host defense. Because IL-18 is produced by keratinocytes…
Recurrent skin infections in extrinsic atopic dermatitis (EAD) may be because of the suppression of anti-microbial peptide (AMP) expression by interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13. Twenty to thirty percent of AD, however, are classified as intrinsic atopic d…
In this work, the intein fusion approach was used for expression and purification of cathelicidin-like peptide SMAP-29 from Escherichia coli cultures. To overcome the high toxicity of the antimicrobial peptide against host cells, both C- and N-termin…
Cathelicidins and other antimicrobial peptides are deployed at epithelial surfaces to defend against infection. These molecules have broad-spectrum killing activity against microbes and can have effects on specific mammalian cell types, potentially s…
Human cathelicidin antimicrobial protein hCAP18/LL-37 is an effector molecule of the nonspecific innate immune system. hCAP18/LL-37 is present in leukocytes and is expressed in skin and other epithelia, where it is upregulated in association with inf…
Cathelicidins are a family of antibacterial peptides. Human cathelicidin LL-37 inhibits the binding of endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to CD14-positive cells and could ameliorate sepsis. The aim of this study was to observe the effect of LL-37 on…
The oral cavity is a unique environment in which antimicrobial peptides play a key role in maintaining health and may have future therapeutic applications. Present evidence suggests that alpha-defensins, beta-defensins, LL-37, histatin, and other ant…
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines neonatal bacterial skin infections with respect to host immunity, bacterial pathogens, patterns of infection, and new therapeutic approaches. RECENT FINDINGS: Advances have been made in our understanding of inn…