14102 studies
Antimicrobial peptides are good leads to develop new antibiotics, but knowledge of their mode of action is a prerequisite. Destruction of the microbial membranes through a detergent-like mechanism is one of these modes of action. This is usually stud…
Mammalian antimicrobial peptides contribute to the protective barrier against microbes at epithelial surfaces. This study focuses on the promoter of the human CAMP gene, encoding the antimicrobial peptide LL-37, and induction of the gene in the colon…
Neutropenia as a consequence of bone marrow failure, severe infections, or intensive chemotherapy is frequently associated with life-threatening sepsis. Ex vivo expansion of CD34(+) stem cells has been shown to generate apparently functional neutroph…
Recent evidence suggests that inflammatory molecules play critical roles in the development and progression of numerous tumors. However, one specific group of inflammatory molecules whose importance has been established in host immune responses, term…
The innate immune system produces a number of effector molecules that are important for protection against bacterial infections. Neutrophils and antimicrobial peptides are major components of innate defense with the capacity of rapid bacterial killin…
Cathelicidin (hCAP-18/LL-37) and beta-defensin 1 (HBD-1) are human antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with high basal expression levels, which form the first line of host defence against infections over the epithelial surfaces. The antimicrobial functions…
Extracellular ATP, released at sites of inflammation or tissue damage, activates the P2X(7) receptor, which in turn triggers a range of responses also including cell proliferation. In this study the ability of the human cathelicidin LL-37 to stimulat…
Antimicrobial peptides such as cathelicidins can modulate inflammation by interfering with TLR function. Small fragment hyaluronan (HA) is released following injury, and is an endogenous ligand for TLR4 as well as CD44. In this study, we examined the…
Antimicrobial peptides or proteins (AMPs) represent an ancient and efficient innate defense mechanism which protects interfaces from infection with pathogenic microorganisms. In human skin AMPs are produced mainly by keratinocytes, neutrophils, seboc…
BACKGROUND: Cathelicidins are a family of antimicrobial peptides acting as multifunctional effector molecules of innate immunity, which are firstly found in mammalians. Recently, several cathelicidins have also been found from chickens and fishes. No…
The various functions of gelsolin in extracellular compartments are not yet clearly defined but include actin scavenging and antiinflammatory effects. Gelsolin was recently reported to bind endotoxin (LPS) from various Gram-negative bacteria with hig…
Cathelicidins are a family of cationic peptides expressed in mammals that possess numerous bactericidal and immunomodulatory properties. In vitro analyses showed that human, mouse, and pig cathelicidins inhibited Bacillus anthracis bacterial growth a…
Histone-derived antimicrobial peptides have been identified in various organisms from plants to humans. The rat histone H4 mRNA variants, H4-v.1 and rat histogranin (HNr) mRNAs, were recently reported to be involved in the synthesis of H4-(86-100) an…
Anaerobic bacteria dominate the human normal microbiota, but strikingly little is known about these commensals. Finegoldia magna is a Gram-positive anaerobe found in the skin and at other non-sterile body surfaces, but it is also an opportunistic pat…
As a key component of the innate immunity system, human cathelicidin LL-37 plays an essential role in protecting humans against infectious diseases. To elucidate the structural basis for its targeting bacterial membrane, we have determined the high q…
Mucosal tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract are typically exposed to a tremendous number of microorganisms and many of them are potentially dangerous to the host. In contrast, the urogenital tract is rather infrequently colonized with bacteria…
Several strategies currently exist for control of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium colonization in the chicken intestine, among which the use of probiotics is of note. Little is known about the underlying mechanisms of probiotic-mediated reduc…
Group A streptococci (Streptococcus pyogenes or GAS) freshly isolated from individuals with streptococcal sore throat or invasive ("flesh-eating") infection often grow as mucoid colonies on primary culture but lose this colony appearance after labora…
The objectives of the current study were to profile changes in protein composition using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis on whey samples from a group of 8 cows before and 18 h after infection with Escherichia coli and to identify differentially exp…
Atheroscleros is now considered as a chronic inflammatory disease, and glucosamine has a potential to exhibit anti-inflammatory action. Thus, we investigated the effect of glucosamine on LL-37-induced endothelial cell activation. HUVEC (human umbilic…