The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
The cytoplasmic granules of mammalian neutrophils contain several antimicrobial peptides. Some, like defensins, are fully processed before storage, whereas others are stored as precursors that require additional processing. Cathelicidins are bipartit…
Effectors of the innate immune system, the anti-bacterial peptides, have pivotal roles in preventing infection at epithelial surfaces. Here we show that proteinases of the significant human pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Pro…
BACKGROUND: Antibacterial peptides, such as defensins and LL-37, are natural bactericidal components similar in potency to classic antibiotics. These peptides are produced at mucosal linings in the body and the skin, and by leucocytes such as neutrop…
BACKGROUND: Cathelicidins are a group of antibiotic peptides with broad antimicrobial activity. They are considered to be an essential part of the innate immune system. The only known human cathelicidin is the human cationic antimicrobial protein (hC…
The role of LL-37, a human cationic antimicrobial peptide, in the immune system is not yet clearly understood. It is a widely expressed peptide that can be up-regulated during an immune response. In this report, we demonstrate that LL-37 is a potent…
The CD spectra of SMAP-29, an antimicrobial peptide from sheep, showed disordered structure in aqueous buffers, and significant helicity in membrane-like environments, including SDS micelles, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) dispersions, and trifluoroethanol…
The antifungal activity and mechanism of SMAP-29 (1-18) (SMAP-29), a cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptide deduced from N-terminal sequence of sheep myeloid mRNA, were investigated. SMAP-29 displayed a strong antifungal activity against various…
Pneumonia and systemic infection are common in premature infants. The antimicrobial peptides human beta-defensin 1 and 2 (hBD-1 and hBD-2) and the cathelicidin LL-37/hCAP-18 are effector molecules of the innate respiratory immune system. It is unknow…
The expression of antimicrobial peptides at epithelial surfaces such as skin, lung, and intestine is thought to provide protection against infection. Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptides are essential for the protection of skin against invasive bacter…
Cathelicidins are a family of antimicrobial proteins isolated from leucocytes and epithelia cells that contribute to the innate host defense mechanisms in mammalians. Located in the C-terminal part of the holoprotein, the cathelicidin-derived antimic…
BMAP-28, a bovine antimicrobial peptide of the cathelicidin family, induces membrane permeabilization and death in human tumor cell lines and in activated, but not resting, human lymphocytes. In addition, we found that BMAP-28 causes depolarization o…
The killing of Borrelia burgdorferi by intact human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) and by individual PMNL components was compared. Intact PMNL killed B. burgdorferi 6.5-fold more efficiently and 5-fold more completely when spirochetes were opson…
OBJECTIVE: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of five different cathelicidin-derived synthetic peptides (SMAP-29, LL-37, PG-1, CRAMP and BMAP-28) for Leptospira interrogans, Borrelia spp. and Trepo…
Leukocytes accumulate at sites of inflammation and immunological reaction in response to locally existing chemotactic mediators. N-formyl peptides, such as fMet-Leu-Phe (fMLF), are some of the first identified and most potent chemoattractants for pha…
The eccrine gland is one of the major cutaneous appendages and secretes sweat. Its principal function is thermoregulation during exposure to a hot environment or physical exercise. In addition to this function, we show that LL-37, a member of catheli…
Tritrpticin, a Trp-rich cationic antimicrobial peptide with a unique amino acid sequence (VRRFPWWWPFLRR), is found in porcine cathelicidin cDNA. Tritrpticin has a broad spectrum of antibacterial and antifungal activities and hemolytic activity compar…
Within the last decade, several peptides have been discovered on the basis of their ability to inhibit the growth of potential microbial pathogens. These so-called antimicrobial peptides participate in the innate immune response by providing a rapid…
Epithelia- and leukocyte-associated antimicrobial peptides provide immediate protection against microbial infections by rapidly inactivating potential pathogens. Bac5 is a member of the cathelicidin family of antimicrobial peptides and is stored in t…
Antimicrobial peptides are important host-defense molecules of innate immunity. Cathelicidins are a diverse family of potent, rapidly acting and broadly effective antimicrobial peptides, which are produced by a variety of cells. This review examines…
Numerous precursors of antibacterial peptides with unrelated sequences share a similar prosequence of 96-101 residues, referred to as the cathelicidin motif. The structure of this widespread motif has not yet been reported. The cathelicidin motif of…