scholarly journals Plant Defensins: Novel Antimicrobial Peptides as Components of the Host Defense System

1995 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. 1353-1358 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. F. Broekaert ◽  
FRG. Terras ◽  
BPA. Cammue ◽  
R. W. Osborn
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Host Defense ◽  
Defense System ◽  
Plant Defensins ◽  
Host Defense System

Antimicrobial Peptides From Lycosidae (Sundevall, 1833) Spiders

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 527-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcella Nunes Melo-Braga ◽  
Flávia De Marco Almeida ◽  
Daniel Moreira dos Santos ◽  
Joaquim Teixeira de Avelar Júnior ◽  
Pablo Victor Mendes dos Reis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Host Defense ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Antimicrobial Activities ◽  
Antibiotic Activity ◽  
Defense System ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Anti Cancer ◽  
Host Defense System ◽  
Patent Applications

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been found in all organism taxa and may play an essential role as a host defense system. AMPs are organized in various conformations, such as linear peptides, disulfide bond-linked peptides, backbone-linked peptides and circular peptides. AMPs apparently act primarily on the plasma membrane, although an increasing number of works have shown that they may also target various intracellular sites. Spider venoms are rich sources of biomolecules that show several activities, including modulation or blockage of ion channels, anti-insect, anti-cancer, antihypertensive and antimicrobial activities, among others. In spider venoms from the Lycosidae family there are many linear AMPs with a wide range of activities against several microorganisms. Due to these singular activities, some Lycosidae AMPs have been modified to improve or decrease desirable or undesirable effects, respectively. Such modifications, especially with the aim of increasing their antibiotic activity, have led to the filing of many patent applications. This review explores the abundance of Lycosidae venom AMPs and some of their derivatives, and their use as new drug models.

A role of uroleuconaphins, polyketide red pigments in aphid, as a chemopreventor in the host defense system against infection with entomopathogenic fungi

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 992-999
Author(s):  
Mitsuyo Horikawa ◽  
Mitsuaki Shimazu ◽  
Maki Aibe ◽  
Hiroto Kaku ◽  
Makoto Inai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Host Defense ◽  
Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽  
Defense System ◽  
Red Pigments ◽  
Host Defense System

scholarly journals Haematophagous arthropod saliva and host defense system: a tale of tear and blood

2005 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno B. Andrade ◽  
Clarissa R. Teixeira ◽  
Aldina Barral ◽  
Manoel Barral-Netto
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Host Defense ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Defense System ◽  
Current Information ◽  
System A ◽  
Host Defense System

The saliva from blood-feeding arthropod vectors is enriched with molecules that display diverse functions that mediate a successful blood meal. They function not only as weapons against host's haemostatic, inflammatory and immune responses but also as important tools to pathogen establishment. Parasites, virus and bacteria taking advantage of vectors' armament have adapted to facilitate their entry in the host. Today, many salivary molecules have been identified and characterized as new targets to the development of future vaccines. Here we focus on current information on vector's saliva and the molecules responsible to modify host's hemostasis and immune response, also regarding their role in disease transmission.

scholarly journals The Two-Faced Cytokine IL-6 in Host Defense and Diseases

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 3528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masashi Narazaki ◽  
Tadamitsu Kishimoto
Keyword(s):  
Host Defense ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
Castleman Disease ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Off Label Use ◽  
Defense System ◽  
New Era ◽  
Pathological Conditions ◽  
Host Defense System

Interleukein-6 (IL-6), is produced locally from infectious or injured lesions and is delivered to the whole body via the blood stream, promptly activating the host defense system to perform diverse functions. However, excessive or sustained production of IL-6 is involved in various diseases. In diseases, the IL-6 inhibitory strategy begins with the development of the anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, tocilizumab (TCZ). This antibody has shown remarkable effects on Castleman disease, rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. In 2017, TCZ was proven to work effectively against giant cell arteritis, Takayasu arteritis and cytokine releasing syndrome, initiating a new era for the treatment of these diseases. In this study, the defensive functions of IL-6 and various pathological conditions are compared. Further, the diseases of which TCZ has been approved for treatment are summarized, the updated results of increasing off-label use of TCZ for various diseases are reviewed and the conditions for which IL-6 inhibition might have a beneficial role are discussed. Given the involvement of IL-6 in many pathologies, the diseases that can be improved by IL-6 inhibition will expand. However, the important role of IL-6 in host defense should always be kept in mind in clinical practice.

Macrophages in the Brain: Friends or Enemies?

Physiology ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Piani ◽  
DB Constam ◽  
K Frei ◽  
A Fontana
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Host Defense ◽  
The Body ◽  
Defense System ◽  
Tissue Destruction ◽  
Brain Macrophages ◽  
Host Defense System ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Macrophage Lineage

Cells of the macrophage lineage are ubiquitously distributed in the body, including the central nervous system. They represent an essential host defense system to protect from infections. However, recent evidence indicates that brain macrophages may also be responsible for tissue destruction, including loss of neurons and demyelination.

A Paneth cell analogue in Xenopus small intestine expresses antimicrobial peptide genes: conservation of an intestinal host-defense system.

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 697-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
D S Reilly ◽  
N Tomassini ◽  
C L Bevins ◽  
M Zasloff
Keyword(s):  
Small Intestine ◽  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Antimicrobial Peptide ◽  
Host Defense ◽  
Cellular Localization ◽  
Paneth Cell ◽  
Host Defense System ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Peptide Gene ◽  
A Site

Antimicrobial peptides are a widespread component of host defense. We characterized the tissue distribution and cellular localization of expression of the magainin family of antimicrobial peptide genes in Xenopus laevis. Two genes from this family, magainin and PGLa, are expressed at high levels in the skin and throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Magainin and PGLa mRNAs are synthesized in the granular multinucleated cell (GMC) of the gastric mucosa, a cell shown previously to contain magainin and PGLa peptides by immunohistochemical methods. In addition, we have localized magainin and PGLa mRNAs to distinct cells of Xenopus small intestine. Further characterization of this large, granule-filled cell by electron microscopy demonstrates features in common with the Paneth cell of mammalian small intestine, previously identified as a site of expression of antimicrobial peptide genes of the defensin family in mouse and human. Our identification of granule-laden, eosinophilic intestinal cells in Xenopus as a site of magainin and PGLa antimicrobial peptide gene expression suggests that these cells are functional analogues of mammalian Paneth cells and further supports a conserved role of antimicrobial peptides in host defense of the vertebrate small intestine.

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