The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute an essential part of the innate immune defence. Pathogenic bacteria have evolved numerous strategies to withstand AMP-mediated killing. The influence of host epithelia on bacterial AMP resistance is, however,…
Host defense peptides are immediate responders of the innate immunity that express antimicrobial, immunoregulatory, and wound-healing activities. Neutrophils are a major source for oral host defense peptides, and phagocytosis by neutrophils is a majo…
UNLABELLED: The sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea is caused exclusively by the human-specific pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Type IV pili are an essential virulence factor uniformly expressed on clinical gonococcal isolates and are required f…
Vitamin D and its metabolites have been recognized as key determinants in innate immune modulation. In this study, we investigated the regulation of antibacterial functions of oral keratinocyte cells by 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25VD3). OKF6/TERT2 cells,…
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can cause lysis of target bacteria by directly inserting themselves into the lipid bilayer. This killing mechanism confounds the identification of the intracellular targets of AMPs. To circumvent this, we used a shuttle…
Although the effectiveness of BCG vaccination in preventing adult pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) has been highly variable, epidemiologic studies have suggested that BCG provides other general health benefits to vaccinees including reducing the impact of…
Treatment of shigellosis in rabbits with phenylbutyrate reduces clinical severity and counteracts down-regulation of cathelicidin (CAP-18) in the large intestinal epithelia. We aimed to further evaluate whether in a rabbit model of enteropathogenic E…
BACKGROUND: The only human cathelicidin, LL-37, and the innate defense regulator peptide IDR-1, which have been proven to have antimicrobial activity, represent essential elements of immunity. Our previous study showed that the peptide LL-37 was prot…
Respiratory syncytial virus is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness among infants, the elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Currently, there is no effective vaccine or disease modifying treatment available and novel interventions…
Mucosal tissues represent the front line in defense against potential pathogens, and one means by which mucosa provide protection is via the secretion of antimicrobials which can interfere with potential pathogens as well as recruit and modify the re…
Interstitial cystitis (IC), often referred to in combination with painful bladder syndrome, is a chronic inflammatory disease of the bladder. Current therapies primarily focus on replenishing urothelial glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer using GAG analogs…
Apoptosis inhibitor of macrophages (AIM), a scavenger protein secreted by tissue macrophages, is transcriptionally regulated by the nuclear receptor Liver X Receptor (LXR) and Retinoid X Receptor (RXR) heterodimer. Given that LXR exerts a protective…
Exposure to elevated temperature is an inherent feature of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) sea-cage culture in some regions (e.g., Newfoundland) and may also become an increasingly prevalent challenge for wild fish populations because of accelerated clim…
Genetic variation in Gir cattle (Bos indicus) has so far not been well characterized. In this study, we used whole genome sequencing of three Gir bulls and a pooled sample from another 11 bulls to identify polymorphisms and loci under selection. A to…
TNF-α is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and regulation of immune cells. It is produced chiefly by activated macrophages as a membrane or secreted form. In rainbow trout, two TNF-α molecules were described previously. In this article, we…
Inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis (AD) and rosacea were complicated by barrier abrogation and deficiency in innate immunity. The first defender of epidermal innate immune response is the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that exhibit a…
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…
LL-37/hCAP-18, as the only human cathelicidin, plays an important role in inflammation. Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is an important bacterial component of Staphylococcus aureus, which is one of the common human pathogens for severe respiratory infection…
BACKGROUND: Much attention has been focused on the design and synthesis of potent, cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that possess both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. However, their development into therapeutic agents has been li…
New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1(NDM-1)-carrying isolates, which are resistant to most clinical used antibiotics except for tigecycline and colistin, have been found worldwide. Cathelicidin-BF (BF-30) is found in the venom of the snake Bungarus fas…