Tissue-specific regulation of innate immune responses by human cathelicidin LL-37

© 2018 Bentham Science Publishers. Cathelicidins form one of the major families of antimicrobial peptides and have been identified in many vertebrates, including humans. LL-37, the only human member of the cathelicidin family, is detected in most sites of the human body that is normally exposed to m...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Panjit Chieosilapatham, Shigaku Ikeda, Hideoki Ogawa, François Niyonsaba
Format: Journal
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85049582459&origin=inward
http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/59111
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Chiang Mai University
Description
Summary:© 2018 Bentham Science Publishers. Cathelicidins form one of the major families of antimicrobial peptides and have been identified in many vertebrates, including humans. LL-37, the only human member of the cathelicidin family, is detected in most sites of the human body that is normally exposed to microbes, including the epithelial lining of the skin, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract and lungs. This peptide is also expressed by a variety of epithelial cells and immune cells, such as neutrophils, monocytes and mast cells. LL-37 has emerged as a key component of innate immunity due to its direct antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of invading pathogens. It also exhibits diverse immunomodulatory functions by activating both pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators; inducing cell migration, proliferation and differentiation; and regulating apoptosis of epithelial cells and neutrophils. Given that the phenotypic and functional properties of immune compartments are different and significantly impacted by the anatomical sites, tissue-specific factors of host origin and microbial communities play important roles in the regulation of LL-37. This review summarizes the expression and biological functions of LL-37 and discusses its significant roles in the innate immune system based on its anatomical distribution.