The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
To compare the effects of four antimicrobial peptides (MUC7 12-mer, histatin 12-mer, cathelicidin KR20, and a peptide containing lactoferricin amino acids 1 to 11) on the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we employed a genomewide fitness screen of comb…
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major worldwide health problem in part due to the lack of development of new treatments and the emergence of new strains such as multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant strains that are threatening and impairin…
OBJECTIVES: We aim to develop antibacterial peptide mimics resistant to protease degradation, with broad-spectrum activity at sites of infection. METHODS: The bactericidal activities of LL-37, ceragenins CSA-13, CSA-90 and CSA-92 and the spermine-con…
The purpose of the study was to elucidate whether responses to vibriosis vaccination and gene expressions in parts of the innate immune system were different in families of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). The fish were progenies of families with differe…
INTRODUCTION: Vitamin-D deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of respiratory infections. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and clinical importance of vitamin-D deficiency in patients with bronchiectasis. METHODS: 25…
Mycobacterium tuberculosis disease represents an enormous global health problem, with exceptionally high morbidity and mortality in HIV-seropositive (HIV(+)) persons. Alveolar macrophages from HIV(+) persons demonstrate specific and targeted impairme…
BACKGROUND: Vitamin D, long recognized for its role in bone metabolism and calcium homeostasis, has been increasingly shown to augment innate immunity. 1-α-Hydroxylase, the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of active vitamin D, has been shown to h…
BACKGROUND: The antimicrobial peptide LL-37 is known to have a potent lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-neutralizing activity in various cell types. Because of observed heterogeneity within periodontopathogenic LPS, the authors hypothesized that LL-37 had spe…
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play pivotal roles in the innate defense of vertebrates. A novel AMP (cathelicidin-PY) has been identified from the skin secretions of the frog Paa yunnanensis . Cathelicidin-PY has an amino acid sequence of RKCNFLCKLKEK…
BACKGROUND: We earlier showed that 4-phenylbutyrate (PB) can induce cathelicidin LL-37 expression synergistically with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in a lung epithelial cell line. We aimed to evaluate a therapeutic dose of PB alone or in combination with…
PURPOSE: To investigate the expression and/or function of toll-like receptors (TLRs) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in dry eye inflammation. METHODS: Experimental dry eye (EDE) was induced in C57BL/6 mice and TLR mRNA and protein expression were d…
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory and immune-regulating properties. We aimed to determine if high-dose cholecalciferol supplementation for 1 year in subjects with early chronic kidney disease (CKD) improved circulating markers of…
BACKGROUND: Differentiation between septic and aseptic loosening of joint replacements is essential for successful revision surgery, but reliable markers for the diagnosis of low-grade infection are lacking. The present study was performed to assess…
To protect themselves against the invasion of microorganisms, amphibians, especially the Rana frogs, are possibly equipped with complex combinations of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The two major AMP families, ranid skin secretion AMPs and cathelici…
Early activation of the innate immune response is important for protection against infection with Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS) in mice. The human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL-37 is known to have immunomodulatory propertie…
The beneficial effects of certain herbal medicines on cutaneous function have been appreciated for centuries. Among these agents, chrysanthemum extract, apigenin, has been used for skin care, particularly in China, for millennia. However, the underly…
To prevent bacterial overgrowth, colonization of the epithelium and subsequent translocation, the gastrointestinal tract maintains an effective mucosal barrier. Besides mucus the most important components of this protective system are epithelial anti…
BACKGROUND: Excess cathelicidin and kallikrein 5 (KLK5) have been hypothesized to play a role in the pathophysiology of rosacea. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the effects of azelaic acid (AzA) on these elements of the innate immune system. METHODS…
Both innate and adaptive immune-relevant factors are transferred from mother to offspring in fishes. These maternally-transferred factors include IgM, lysozymes, lectin, cathelicidin and complement components. Recently, yolk proteins, phosvitin and l…
The first step that precedes hematopoietic transplantation is elimination of pathological hematopoiesis by administration of myeloablative doses of radiochemotherapy. This eliminates hematolymphopoietic cells and at the same time damages hematopoieti…