The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the lower genital tract can ascend to and cause pathologies in the upper genital tract, potentially leading to severe complications, such as tubal infertility. However, chlamydial organisms depleted of plasmid or de…
The present work focuses on the in silico characterization of functional divergence of two ovine cathelicidin coding sequence (cds) variants (ie, Cath1 and Cath2) of Indian sheep. Overlapping partial cds of both the cathelicidin variants were cloned…
The common causes of death in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are cardiovascular events and infectious disease. These patients are also predisposed to the development of vitamin D deficiency, which leads to an increased risk of immune dysfuncti…
BACKGROUND: The ceramide metabolite, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), regulates multiple cellular functions in keratinocytes (KC). We recently discovered that production of a key innate immune element, cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP), is stim…
The aim of the present study was to characterize intestinal immune mechanisms involved in the response to β-glucans in rainbow trout. Among the immune effectors regulated in response to immunostimulants, host defense peptides (HDPs) are abundantly ex…
Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a frequent gynecological condition caused by Candida albicans and a few non-albicans Candida spp. It has a significant impact on the quality of life of the affected women also due to a considerable incidence of recur…
PURPOSE: Vitamin D is recognized to be an important modulator of the immune system. In the eye, studies have shown that deficiencies and genetic differences in vitamin D-related genes have a significant impact on the development of various ocular dis…
Antimicrobial peptides (AP) are important components of the innate immune system. Our previous work revealed a higher mortality rate and up-regulation of proinflammatory gene expression as well as glial cell activation in cathelicidin-related antimic…
In the first 2-3 weeks after parturition >90% of dairy cows will have some form of uterine infection. Uterine contamination with pathogens, such as Trueperella (formerly Arcanobacterium) pyogenes increases the risk of developing more severe endometri…
Mechanical ventilation (MV) of patients can cause damage to bronchoalveolar epithelium, leading to a sterile inflammatory response, infection and in severe cases sepsis. Limited knowledge is available on the effects of MV on the innate immune defense…
Virulent group A streptococci have become a serious threat, with the emergence of the hypervirulent lineage M1T1. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, LaRock et al. (2015), uncover a role for the streptococcal M1 protein in neutralizing a key human…
Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) is a naturally occurring secreted peptide that is expressed in several organs with pleiotropic roles in immunomodulation, wound healing, and cell growth. We previously demonstrated that gut Camp expression is…
The genome of Tannerella forsythia, an etiological factor of chronic periodontitis, contains several genes encoding putative proteases. Here, we characterized a subtilisin-like serine protease of T. forsythia referred to as mirolase. Recombinant full…
The human cathelicidin LL-37 has been shown to play a role in host defense against influenza A viruses (IAV) through direct antiviral effects and through modulating inflammatory responses to infection. We recently showed that LL-37 increases neutroph…
Porphyromonas gingivalis is a peptide-fermenting asaccharolytic periodontal pathogen. Its genome contains several genes encoding cysteine peptidases other than gingipains. One of these genes (PG1055) encodes a protein called Tpr (thiol protease) that…
Bioactive peptide LL-37/hCAP18, the only human member of the cathelicidin family, plays important roles in killing various pathogens, as well as in immune modulation. We demonstrate that LL-37 is internalized by human macrophages in a time-, dose-, t…
Ceragenins constitute a novel family of cationic antibiotics characterized by a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities, which have mostly been assessed in vitro. Using a polarized human lung epithelial cell culture system, we evaluated the antiba…
The crustacean ectoparasitic salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) is a major problem of Atlantic salmon aquaculture in the Northern hemisphere. Host-pathogen interactions in this system are highly complex. Resistance to the parasite involves variat…
INTRODUCTION: Decreased production of cathelicidin antimicrobial protein-18 (hCAP18) has been proposed to be a key mechanism linking decreased 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D) levels with adverse outcomes among critically ill patients. However, few studies…