The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
BACKGROUND: The nail is susceptible to microbial invasion, yet is usually able to defend itself from infection. This occurs despite isolation from cell-mediated immunity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether soluble innate immune…
Antimicrobial peptides, such as LL-37, are found both in nonvertebrates and vertebrates, where they represent important components of innate immunity. Bacterial infections at epithelial surfaces are associated with substantial induction of LL-37 expr…
OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial peptides are important effectors of innate immunity. Bacteria display multiple defence mechanisms against these peptides. For example, Pseudomonas aeruginosa releases potent proteinases that inactivate the human cathelicidin…
The respiratory epithelium plays a major role in the primary defense of the airways against infection. It has been demonstrated that bacterial products are involved in the induction of inflammatory reactions of the upper airways. Little is known abou…
Antimicrobial peptides are effector molecules of the innate immune system. We recently showed that the human antimicrobial peptides alpha-defensin and LL-37 bind to glycosaminoglycans (heparin and dermatan sulphate). Here we demonstrate the obverse,…
Humans are one of the few species that resist infection by Trypanosoma brucei brucei because the parasites are killed by lytic factors found in human serum. Trypanosome lytic factors (TLFs) are protein/lipid complexes that contain apolipoprotein A-I…
The 54-kDa extracellular metalloprotease ZapA is an important virulence factor of uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis. While ZapA has the ability to degrade host immunoglobulins (Igs), the dramatic attenuation of virulence in ZapA mutants suggests that t…
BACKGROUND: The antimicrobial peptides human beta-defensin 1 and 2 (hBD-1 and 2) and the cathelicidin LL-37/hCAP-18 are key factors in innate immune responses of the respiratory tract. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of thes…
To investigate whether LL-37 and human beta defensin-2 (hBD-2) is related to the patients with psoriasis seldom having skin infections and explore the role of the two peptides and CCR6 (the receptor of hBD-2) in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, the exp…
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Public fear of the reintroduction of smallpox as a biological weapon or agent of bioterrorism has led to a renaissance of interest in smallpox, and a military and public health vaccination programme in the USA. Clinical experience…
The significant human bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes expresses GRAB, a surface protein that binds alpha(2)-macroglobulin (alpha(2)M), a major proteinase inhibitor of human plasma. alpha(2)M inhibits proteolysis by trapping the proteinase,…
The release of IL-1 beta is a tightly controlled process that requires induced synthesis of the precursor pro-IL-1 beta and a second stimulus that initiates cleavage and secretion of mature IL-1 beta. Although ATP as a second stimulus potently promot…
OBJECTIVE: The action of antibacterial cathelicidin CAP11 (cationic antibacterial polypeptide of 11 kDa) on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced suppression of neutrophil apoptosis was evaluated in vitro. METHODS: Human neutrophils (10(6) cells/ml) w…
OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to define the spectrum, activity, and spatial distribution of antimicrobial peptides in vernix caseosa and amniotic fluid in the absence of clinical chorioamnionitis. STUDY DESIGN: Characterization of innate immun…
The hormonal form of vitamin D(3), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)), is an immune system modulator and induces expression of the TLR coreceptor CD14. 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) signals through the vitamin D receptor, a ligand-stimulated transcriptio…
Antimicrobial peptides have established an important role in the defense against extracellular infections, but the expression of cationic peptides within macrophages as an antibacterial effector mechanism against intracellular pathogens has not been…
The growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria necessitates the search for new antimicrobial agents and the principles by which they work. We report that cell membrane-permeant rhodamine B (RhB)-conjugated peptides based on the phosphatidylinosi…
Saliva is essential for a lifelong conservation of the dentition. Various functions of saliva are implicated in the maintenance of oral health and the protection of our teeth: (i) The tooth surface is continuously protected against wear by a film of…
The antibacterial activities of the cathelicidin peptides LL-37 and an 18-residue C-terminal fragment of prophenin, corresponding to positions 62 to 79 of native prophenin (PF-18), were analyzed in the presence of a modified surfactant preparation is…
BACKGROUND: LL-37, an antimicrobial peptide, has been discovered to be produced by a number of epithelial cells. It is identified as a key element in the innate host defense mechanism. Because little is known about the expression of LL-37 in human si…