[HTML][HTML] A peptide antibiotic from human skin

J Harder, J Bartels, E Christophers, JM Schröder - Nature, 1997 - nature.com
J Harder, J Bartels, E Christophers, JM Schröder
Nature, 1997nature.com
To avoid opportunistic infections, plants and animals have developed antimicrobial peptides
in their epithelia that can form pores in the cytoplasmic membrane of microorganisms. After
contact with microorganisms, vertebrate skin, trachea and tongue epithelia are rich sources
of peptide antibiotics, which may explain the unexpected resistance of these tissues to
infection. Here we report that human skin is protected in a similar way by an inducible,
transcriptionally regulated, antibiotic peptide, which resembles those in other mammals.
Abstract
To avoid opportunistic infections, plants and animals have developed antimicrobial peptides in their epithelia that can form pores in the cytoplasmic membrane of microorganisms. After contact with microorganisms, vertebrate skin, trachea and tongue epithelia are rich sources of peptide antibiotics, which may explain the unexpected resistance of these tissues to infection. Here we report that human skin is protected in a similar way by an inducible, transcriptionally regulated, antibiotic peptide, which resembles those in other mammals.
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