Host defense peptides

Host Defense Peptides Bridging Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Activities... 

Host Defense Peptide Target Selection and Self-Promoted Uptake 182... 

Host defense peptide hydrophobicity and polar angle 183... 

Host Defense Peptides and Self-Promoted Uptake 184... 

Direct Antimicrobial Activity of Host Defense Peptides In Vivo 191... 

Host Defense Peptides and the Adaptive Immune Response 198... 

Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of Host Defense Peptides -... 

Strategies for Host Defense Peptide Selection and Optimization 204... 

In Silico Screening of Host Defense Peptides through Virtual Screening... 

In mammals, two groups of host defense peptides are prominent the cathelicidins (notably human LL-37, porcine protegrin, and bovine indolicidin) and the defensins (human a- and /3-defensins). These two classes of peptides are involved in both intracellular and extracellular defensive responses and as individual peptides can be synthesized and stored in either active or inactive form within cells or secreted through degranulation into the surrounding environment. ... 

Figure 1 Cartoon representation of the human cathelicidin hCAPI 8. The amino acid residues that define each of the three hCAP18 domains have been added. The sequence of LL-37, the host defense peptide derived from hCAP18, is found in the inset. Structure-activity relationship studies have identified regions within the peptide that are necessary for both antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities.

In addition to the cathelicidins and defensins, humans also utilize a variety of other host defense peptides. Examples of these include the anionic dermcidins, found in human sweat and possessing potent antimicrobial activity in a broad range of pH and salt concentrations, and the histatins, a histidine-rich host defense peptide family found in humans and higher primate species. The histatins are normally found in saliva and utilize an alternative mechanism to bacterial membrane lysis for their antimicrobial activity. ... 

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