The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
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…
LL-37, the only human cathelicidin, is a cationic antimicrobial peptide with antibacterial and antifungal activity. LL-37 is released from neutrophil granules and produced by epithelial cells. It has been implicated in host defence against influenza…
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…
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…
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…
Periodontal disease is caused by microorganisms and host-derived inflammation involving increased cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production. We previously demonstrated that human β-defensin-3 induces COX-2 and PGE…
Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is an "endocrine" FGF acting in the kidney as a phosphaturic hormone and a suppressor of active vitamin D, through an inhibition of the 1α hydroxylase and a stimulation of the 24 hydroxylase. Beyond its well-known…
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…
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…
During bacterial infections, antimicrobial peptides are synthesised as an important part of the innate immune system. However, expression and function in the central nervous system (CNS) need further investigations. The aim of this study was to exami…
Antimicrobial peptides or host defense peptides are fundamental components of human innate immunity. Recent and growing evidence suggests they have a role in a broad range of diseases, including cancer, allergies and susceptibility to infection, incl…
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…
A variety of external perturbations can induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, followed by stimulation of epithelial cells to produce an innate immune element, the cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP). ER stress also increases production of t…
Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that are released from Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria can serve as vehicles for the translocation of effectors involved in infectious processes. In this study we have investigated the role of OMVs of the Vibrio chole…
Tuberculosis causes close to 1.5 million deaths in the world, with new cases exceeding 9 million in recent years. Coinfection with HIV further worsens the global situation. New molecules that overcome the limitations of currently used drugs are neede…
The IQ-motif is an amphipathic, often positively charged, α-helical, calmodulin binding sequence found in a number of eukaryote signalling, transport and cytoskeletal proteins. They share common biophysical characteristics with established, cationic…
The endocannabinoid 2-AG is highly susceptible to its hydrolysis into AA, which activates neutrophils through de novo LTB(4) biosynthesis, independently of CB activation. In this study, we show that 2-AG and AA stimulate neutrophils to release antimi…
INTRODUCTION: The presence of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) and histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (pPROM). Therefore…
Infections caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii have emerged as a serious global health problem. We have shown previously that A. baumannii can become resistant to the last-line antibiotic colistin via the loss of lipopolysaccharide…
At hatching, the immune system of the rainbow trout larva is not fully developed. The larva emerges from the egg and is exposed to the aquatic freshwater environment containing pathogenic organisms. At this early stage, protection from disease causin…