14102 studies
The increasing number of infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria has spurred efforts to develop new therapeutic strategies. When applied locally, exogenous antibiotics work in an environment rich in endogenous antibacterial molecules such as the…
BACKGROUND: Production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is the primary mechanism by which skin innate immunity protects against infection. Hormonally active vitamin D3 (1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3; 1,25D₃) is a vital regulator of skin innate immunity,…
Antimicrobial peptides such as human β-defensins (hBDs) and cathelicidins are critical for protection against infection and can be induced by activation of TLRs, a pathway that also activates cyclooxygenase(Cox)-2 expression. We hypothesized that Cox…
BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests cathelicidin LL-37 to be a growth factor for various human cancers such as lung cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. However, the effect of LL-37 against malignant skin cancer has not been reported. OBJECTIVE…
Capsular polysaccharides (CPS) are a major virulence factor in meningococcal infections and form the basis for serogroup designation and protective vaccines. Our work has identified meningococcal CPS as a pro-inflammatory ligand that functions throug…
Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major periodontogenic bacterium and possesses immunostimulatory components, such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and fimbriae. The host antimicrobial peptide, LL-37, suppresses proinflammatory responses of immune cells but…
BACKGROUND: Bone generation and maintenance involve osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteocytes which originate from unique precursors and rely on key growth factors for differentiation. However, an incomplete understanding of bone forming cells during…
BACKGROUND: Primary diagnostic cultures from patients with melioidosis demonstrate variation in colony morphology of the causative organism, Burkholderia pseudomallei. Variable morphology is associated with changes in the expression of a range of put…
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are specialized type I interferon (IFN-α/β)-producing cells that express intracellular toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and TLR9 and recognize viral nucleic acids in the context of infections. We show that pDCs also have…
BACKGROUND: We identified cathelicidin related antimicrobial protein (CRAMP) secreted from telomere dysfunctional bone marrow cells of late generation telomerase knockout mice (G4mTerc(-/-)), increased in blood and various tissues. It can represented…
In the preantibiotic era, TB of the skin was treated successfully with UV light. By the 1920s, pulmonary TB was being treated with regular sun exposure. During the last decade, basic laboratory research into the antimicrobial actions of vitamin D has…
We investigated the mechanisms by which T-cell cytokines are able to influence the Toll-like receptor (TLR)-induced, vitamin D-dependent antimicrobial pathway in human monocytes. T-cell cytokines differentially influenced TLR2/1-induced expression of…
The urinary tract is frequently being exposed to potential pathogens and rapid defence mechanisms are therefore needed. Cathelicidin, a human antimicrobial peptide is expressed and secreted by bladder epithelial cells and protects the urinary tract f…
INTRODUCTION: A subgroup of patients with primary Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) and positive anticentromere antibodies (ACA) were recognized as having features intermediate between SS and systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our goal was to describe this group clinic…
Although many aspects of stroke are similar at both sexes, however, there are some differences and characteristics as well. The aim of this study was to analyze sex differences in patients with acute ischemic stroke (IS) regarding to risk factors, su…
Change of actin filament organization at the early stage of cell differentiation directs cell fate commitment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Thymosin beta-4 (Tbeta(4)), a major G-actin sequestering peptide, is known to regulate the cytoskeleton. T…
Thymosin-beta4 (Tbeta4) is a major actin monomer-binding peptide in mammalian tissues and plays a crucial role in the nervous system in synaptogenesis, neuronal survival and migration, axonal growth, and plastic changes of dendritic spines. However,…