The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
The hormonal form of vitamin D(3), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)), is an immune system modulator and induces expression of the TLR coreceptor CD14. 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) signals through the vitamin D receptor, a ligand-stimulated transcriptio…
The 54-kDa extracellular metalloprotease ZapA is an important virulence factor of uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis. While ZapA has the ability to degrade host immunoglobulins (Igs), the dramatic attenuation of virulence in ZapA mutants suggests that t…
The growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria necessitates the search for new antimicrobial agents and the principles by which they work. We report that cell membrane-permeant rhodamine B (RhB)-conjugated peptides based on the phosphatidylinosi…
Although constantly exposed to the environment and "foreign bodies" such as contact lenses and unwashed fingertips, the ocular surface succumbs to infection relatively infrequently. This is, in large part, due to a very active and robust innate immun…
The skin commensal and opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis is the leading cause of nosocomial and biofilm-associated infections. Little is known about the mechanisms by which S. epidermidis protects itself against the innate human immun…
Breast-feeding decreases the risk of breast cancer in mothers and infection, allergy, and autoimmunity in infants. The presence of mediators of the innate immune system in human milk, including soluble defensins, cathelicidins, and toll-like receptor…
OBJECTIVE: The action of antibacterial cathelicidin CAP11 (cationic antibacterial polypeptide of 11 kDa) on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced suppression of neutrophil apoptosis was evaluated in vitro. METHODS: Human neutrophils (10(6) cells/ml) w…
Antimicrobial peptides, such as LL-37, are found both in nonvertebrates and vertebrates, where they represent important components of innate immunity. Bacterial infections at epithelial surfaces are associated with substantial induction of LL-37 expr…
The antibacterial activities of the cathelicidin peptides LL-37 and an 18-residue C-terminal fragment of prophenin, corresponding to positions 62 to 79 of native prophenin (PF-18), were analyzed in the presence of a modified surfactant preparation is…
Cathelicidin LL-37 is one of the few human bactericidal peptides with potent antistaphylococcal activity. In this study we examined the susceptibility of LL-37 to proteolytic degradation by two major proteinases produced by Staphylococcus aureus, a m…
Saliva is essential for a lifelong conservation of the dentition. Various functions of saliva are implicated in the maintenance of oral health and the protection of our teeth: (i) The tooth surface is continuously protected against wear by a film of…
Antimicrobial peptides are effector molecules of the innate immune system. We recently showed that the human antimicrobial peptides alpha-defensin and LL-37 bind to glycosaminoglycans (heparin and dermatan sulphate). Here we demonstrate the obverse,…
UNLABELLED: Histone-deacetylase (HDAC) -inhibitors enhance acetylation of core proteins and this is linked to formation of transcriptionally active chromatin in various cells. In this study, the effect of HDAC inhibitors (butyrate, trichostatin A (TS…
Possible bioterrorism with smallpox has led to the resumption of smallpox (vaccinia virus) immunization. One complication, eczema vaccinatum, occurs primarily in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Skin lesions of patients with AD, but not psoriasi…
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are essential components of innate immunity in a range of species from Drosophila to humans and are generally thought to act by disrupting the membrane integrity of microbes. In order to discover novel AMPs in the chicke…
LL-37 is a cationic peptide that is found in the granules of neutrophils and is secreted by epithelial cells from a variety of tissues. Levels of LL-37 in vivo increase upon infection, and its production and secretion are increased upon stimulation w…
Antimicrobial peptides have established an important role in the defense against extracellular infections, but the expression of cationic peptides within macrophages as an antibacterial effector mechanism against intracellular pathogens has not been…
Synthetic cathelicidin peptides exhibit enhanced antimicrobial action and avid binding to LPS, thereby detoxifying the action of endotoxin released from degrading bacteria. A series of cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAP) and sheep myeloid antimi…
The release of IL-1 beta is a tightly controlled process that requires induced synthesis of the precursor pro-IL-1 beta and a second stimulus that initiates cleavage and secretion of mature IL-1 beta. Although ATP as a second stimulus potently promot…
BACKGROUND: LL-37, an antimicrobial peptide, has been discovered to be produced by a number of epithelial cells. It is identified as a key element in the innate host defense mechanism. Because little is known about the expression of LL-37 in human si…