The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
LL-37 is a cationic antimicrobial peptide and the sole human member of cathelicidins. Besides its bactericidal properties, LL-37 is known to have direct immunomodulatory effects, among which enhancement of antiviral responses via endosomal toll-like…
PURPOSE: To decipher the underlying immunological mechanisms in predisposition to oral microbial dysbiosis in severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Ten SCN patients (5-23 years old) and 12 healthy controls (5-22 years old…
Inefficient autologous tissue recovery in diverse skin injuries increases the susceptibility of patients to infections caused by multiresistant microorganisms, resulting in a high mortality rate. Nonviral transfection is an attractive alternative for…
OBJECTIVE: The importance of human host defense peptide LL-37 in vascular innate immunity is not understood. Here, we assess the impact of LL-37 on double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) signaling in human vascular smooth muscle cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ce…
Here, we demonstrate the self-assembly of the antimicrobial human LL-37 active core (residues 17-29) into a protein fibril of densely packed helices. The surface of the fibril encompasses alternating hydrophobic and positively charged zigzagged belts…
Mycobacterium leprae infection depends on the competence of the host immune defense to induce effective protection against this intracellular pathogen. The present study investigated the serum levels of vitamin D and the antimicrobial peptide catheli…
BACKGROUND: Small vessel vasculitis (SVV) is a group of systemic autoimmune diseases that are mediated by neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in response to cathelicidin LL37, an aging molecular marker, which could be induced by telomere dysfunctio…
Response regulators are a critical part of the two-component system of gene expression regulation in bacteria, transferring a signal from a sensor kinase into DNA binding activity resulting in alteration of gene expression. In this study, we investig…
Lipid droplets (LDs) are the major lipid storage organelles of eukaryotic cells and a source of nutrients for intracellular pathogens. We demonstrate that mammalian LDs are endowed with a protein-mediated antimicrobial capacity, which is up-regulated…
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common viral pathogens. It is especially dangerous for newborns and young children. In some cases it could lead to severe bronchiolitis, pneumonia with hospitalization or even a lethal outcome. Des…
Host defense peptides (HDP) are multifunctional effectors of the innate immune system, which has antimicrobial and pleiotropic immunomodulatory functions. Although there is a very sophisticated superposition of adaptive immune systems in vertebrates,…
Cathelicidins represent a major group of host defense peptides (HDPs) that share a highly conserved cathelin-like domain. In birds, this gene family has been identified in many species. However, no information was available in the goose until now. In…
Can antimicrobial activity and peptide stability of alpha-helical peptides be increased by making them into dimers and macrocycles? Here, we explore that concept by using KR-12 as the starting point for peptide engineering. KR-12 has previously been…
The maintenance of a healthy skin barrier is crucial to prevent and treat atopic dermatitis (AD) lesions and avoid infections. Glycomacropeptide (GMP) is a bioactive peptide that has demonstrated promising results as an anti-inflammatory and antiprur…
Proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) may be a valuable weapon against multi-drug resistant pathogens, combining potent antimicrobial activity with low cytotoxicity. We have identified novel PrAMPs from five cetacean species (cePrAMPs), and ch…
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by loss of renal function and a consequent increase of serum uremic toxins, which contribute to inflammation status. Deficiency of 25-vitamin D, often found in patients with CKD, has been included as an i…
BACKGROUND: Safe diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is of utmost importance for successful exchange arthroplasty. However, current diagnostic tools show insufficient accuracy in the clinically common and challenging chronic low-grade i…
Infections are common complications in joint replacement surgeries. Eradicated infections can lead to implant failure. In this paper, analogues of the peptide KR-12 derived from the human cathelicidin LL-37 were designed, synthesised, and characteris…
Neuroinflammation is involved in the progression or secondary injury of multiple brain conditions, including stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. Alarmins, also known as damage-associated molecular patterns, are released in the presence of neuroinf…
BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of infant colic is poorly defined. Gut microbiota seems to be involved, supporting the potential therapeutic role of probiotics. AIMS: To assess the rate of infants with a reduction of ≥50% of mean daily crying duration a…