Epithelial antimicrobial peptides: innate local host response elements

Multicellular organisms have to survive in an environment laden with numerous microorganisms, which represent a potential hazard to life. Different strategies have been developed to ward off infections by preventing microorganisms from entering surfaces and by preventing the attack of microorganisms...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS 1999-10, Vol.56 (1-2), p.32-46
Main Author: Schr der, J.-M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Anti-Bacterial Agents - biosynthesis
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial agents
Cellular biology
Cystic Fibrosis - immunology
Defensins - immunology
Epithelial Cells - immunology
Epithelial Cells - metabolism
Humans
Microorganisms
Molecular Sequence Data
Peptides
Peptides - pharmacology
Plants - metabolism
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
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Summary:Multicellular organisms have to survive in an environment laden with numerous microorganisms, which represent a potential hazard to life. Different strategies have been developed to ward off infections by preventing microorganisms from entering surfaces and by preventing the attack of microorganisms that have already entered the epithelia. Therefore, it is not surprising that epithelia are equipped with various antimicrobial substances that act rapidly to kill a broad range of microorganisms. This review summarizes our present knowledge about epithelial peptide antibiotics produced in plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates including humans. There is now strong evidence that in addition to constitutively secreted peptide antibiotics, others are induced upon contact with microorganisms or by proinflammatory cytokines. beta-Defensins represent one family of vertebrate antimicrobial peptides, members of which are inducible and have recently been identified in humans. The defensin-characteristic local expression pattern may indicate that specialized surfaces express a characteristic surface antimicrobial peptide pattern that might define the characteristic microflora as well as the density of microorganisms present on the surface.
ISSN:1420-682X
1420-9071
DOI:10.1007/s000180050004