15038 studies
Pneumonia and systemic infection are common in premature infants. The antimicrobial peptides human beta-defensin 1 and 2 (hBD-1 and hBD-2) and the cathelicidin LL-37/hCAP-18 are effector molecules of the innate respiratory immune system. It is unknow…
Cathelicidin peptides are a numerous group of mammalian cationic antimicrobial peptides. Despite a common evolutionary origin of their genes, peptides display a remarkable variety of sizes, sequences and structures. Their spectra of antimicrobial act…
The mast cell is one of the major effector cells in inflammatory reactions and can be found in most tissues throughout the body. During inflammation, an increase in the number of mast cells in the local milieu occurs, and such accumulation requires d…
CRAMP was identified from a cDNA clone derived from mouse femoral marrow cells as a member of cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptides. This peptide shows potent antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria but no hemoly…
The antifungal activity and mechanism of SMAP-29 (1-18) (SMAP-29), a cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptide deduced from N-terminal sequence of sheep myeloid mRNA, were investigated. SMAP-29 displayed a strong antifungal activity against various…
Neutrophil granulocytes carry storage organelles, e.g., azurophil and specific granules. Poorly understood are the mechanisms for retrieval from constitutive secretion followed by sorting for storage. Therefore, we asked whether the specific granule…
The comparative analysis of two cationic antibacterial peptides of the cathelicidin family-indolicidin and tritrypticin-enabled addressing the structural features critical for the mechanism of indolicidin activity. Functional behavior of retro-indoli…
BACKGROUND: LL-37 is a peptide belonging to the cathelicidin family of antimicrobial peptides. Recent investigations have suggested that the expression of antimicrobial peptides is an important mechanism for resistance to microbial infection. OBJECTI…
Mammalian myeloid and epithelial cells express various peptide antibiotics (such as defensins and cathelicidins) that contribute to the innate host defense against invading microorganisms. Among these peptides, human cathelicidin CAP18/LL-37 (L(1) to…
Tritrpticin, a Trp-rich cationic antimicrobial peptide with a unique amino acid sequence (VRRFPWWWPFLRR), is found in porcine cathelicidin cDNA. Tritrpticin has a broad spectrum of antibacterial and antifungal activities and hemolytic activity compar…
Cathelicidins are antimicrobial peptides present in humans, and laboratory and domestic animals. These peptides are essential components of innate and acquired immune responses; however, little is known about cathelicidin gene regulation. To investig…
Cathelicidins are a class of gene-encoded antibiotics found exclusively in mammals. In vitro and in vivo studies indicate they are effector molecules of mammalian innate immunity that can provide a first line of defense against an array of micro-orga…
The role of LL-37, a human cationic antimicrobial peptide, in the immune system is not yet clearly understood. It is a widely expressed peptide that can be up-regulated during an immune response. In this report, we demonstrate that LL-37 is a potent…
BACKGROUND: Cathelicidins are a group of antibiotic peptides with broad antimicrobial activity. They are considered to be an essential part of the innate immune system. The only known human cathelicidin is the human cationic antimicrobial protein (hC…
Effectors of the innate immune system, the anti-bacterial peptides, have pivotal roles in preventing infection at epithelial surfaces. Here we show that proteinases of the significant human pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Pro…
BACKGROUND: The innate immune system of human skin contains antimicrobial peptides known as cathelicidins (LL-37) and beta-defensins. In normal skin these peptides are negligible, but they accumulate in skin affected by inflammatory diseases such as…
Cathelicidins are a family of antimicrobial proteins isolated from leucocytes and epithelia cells that contribute to the innate host defense mechanisms in mammalians. Located in the C-terminal part of the holoprotein, the cathelicidin-derived antimic…
BACKGROUND: Antibacterial peptides, such as defensins and LL-37, are natural bactericidal components similar in potency to classic antibiotics. These peptides are produced at mucosal linings in the body and the skin, and by leucocytes such as neutrop…
Epithelia- and leukocyte-associated antimicrobial peptides provide immediate protection against microbial infections by rapidly inactivating potential pathogens. Bac5 is a member of the cathelicidin family of antimicrobial peptides and is stored in t…
The eccrine gland is one of the major cutaneous appendages and secretes sweat. Its principal function is thermoregulation during exposure to a hot environment or physical exercise. In addition to this function, we show that LL-37, a member of catheli…