The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
Tuberculosis is one of the most important infectious diseases worldwide. The susceptibility to this disease depends to a great extent on the innate immune response against mycobacteria. Host defense peptides (HDP) are one of the first barriers to cou…
Alloferons are a group of naturally occurring peptides primarily isolated from insects that are capable of stimulating mouse and human NK cell cytotoxicity toward cancer cells. In this study, we found that a modified antibacterial peptide had a broad…
Metabolic reprogramming is one of the hallmarks of cancer and can be targeted by therapeutic agents. We previously reported that cathelicidin-related or modified antimicrobial peptides, such as FF/CAP18, have antiproliferative effects on the squamous…
The objective of this study was to construct an improved thioredoxin fusion protein expression system, and express the cathelicidin-derived peptide, Lf-CATH2. The improved fusion vector Lf-CATH2-pET32α(-TS) was successfully constructed by firstly del…
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) expressed by epithelial and immune cells are largely described for the defense against invading microorganisms. Recently, their immunomodulatory functions have been highlighted in various contexts. However how AMPs expre…
Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections represent an emerging health concern in clinical settings, and a lack of novel developments in the pharmaceutical pipeline is creating a "perfect storm" for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Antimicro…
Low expression of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and dysfunction of vitamin D/VDR signaling are reported in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); therefore, restoration of VDR function to control inflammation in IBD is desirable. Probiotics have…
Interactions between a host and a bacterial pathogen are mediated by cross-talk between molecules present on, or secreted by, pathogens and host binding-molecules. Identifying proteins involved at this interface would provide substantial insights int…
OBJECTIVES: The tumour stroma/microenvironment not only provides structural support for tumour development, but more importantly it provides cues to cancer stem cells (CSCs) that regulate their self-renewal and metastatic potential. This is certainly…
Antibiotic resistance poses an increasingly grave threat to the public health. Of pressing concern, rapid spread of carbapenem-resistance among multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative rods (GNR) is associated with few treatment options and high morta…
BACKGROUND: Development of new tuberculosis (TB) drugs and alternative treatment strategies are urgently required to control the global spread of TB. Previous results have shown that vitamin D3 (vitD3) and 4-phenyl butyrate (PBA) are potent inducers…
Porphyromonas gingivalis causes chronic inflammatory diseases (periodontal diseases) that destroy the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. Antimicrobial peptides are crucial components of the host defense response required to maintain cellular hom…
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…
Obesity is often associated with irregular dietary habits and reduced physical activity. Regular exercise induces a metabolic response that includes increased expression of various cytokines, signaling proteins and hormones, and reduced adipocyte siz…
Increased secretion of antimicrobial peptides and cytokines is present in atopic skin. The purpose of this study was to compare the production of β-defensin (cBD)3-like, cathelicidin (cCath) and cytokines in atopic and healthy canine keratinocytes. S…
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that human cathelicidin and defensins have effective antimicrobial activity against Mycobacterium spp. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antimycobacterial effect of mature bovine neutrophil β-defensin (mBNBD) 4 aga…
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health problem and often coincides with vitamin D deficiency. High doses of vitamin D were widely used to treat TB during the pre-antibiotic era. Vitamin D exerts its action through vitamin D receptor (VDR), and VD…
Naja atra cathelicidin (NA-CATH) is a 34-amino acid highly cationic peptide identified in Chinese cobras to possess potent toxicity against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and low toxicity against host cells. Here, we report the NMR solution…
Cathelicidins, like other antimicrobial peptides, exhibit direct antimicrobial activities against a broad spectrum of microbes, including both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, enveloped viruses, and fungi. These host-derived peptides kill th…