Gallo Richard L, Murakami Masamoto, Ohtake Takaaki, Zaiou Mohamed
Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, and VA San Diego Healthcare Center, USA.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002 Dec;110(6):823-31. doi: 10.1067/mai.2002.129801.
Within the last decade, several peptides have been discovered on the basis of their ability to inhibit the growth of potential microbial pathogens. These so-called antimicrobial peptides participate in the innate immune response by providing a rapid first-line defense against infection. Recent advances in this field have shown that peptides belonging to the cathelicidin and defensin gene families are of particular importance to the mammalian immune defense system. This review discusses the biology of these molecules, with emphasis on their structure, processing, expression and function. Current evidence has shown that both cathelicidins and defensins are multifunctional and that they act both as natural antibiotics and as signaling molecules that activate host cell processes involved in immune defense and repair. The abnormal expression of these peptides has also been associated with human disease. Current and future studies are likely to implicate the presence of antimicrobial peptides in several unexplained human inflammatory disorders and to provide novel therapeutic approaches to the treatment of disease.
在过去十年中，人们基于一些肽抑制潜在微生物病原体生长的能力发现了几种肽。这些所谓的抗菌肽通过提供针对感染的快速一线防御参与先天免疫反应。该领域的最新进展表明，属于cathelicidin和防御素基因家族的肽对哺乳动物免疫防御系统尤为重要。本综述讨论了这些分子的生物学特性，重点是它们的结构、加工、表达和功能。目前的证据表明，cathelicidin和防御素都是多功能的，它们既作为天然抗生素，又作为激活参与免疫防御和修复的宿主细胞过程的信号分子。这些肽的异常表达也与人类疾病有关。当前和未来的研究可能会表明抗菌肽在几种无法解释的人类炎症性疾病中的存在，并为疾病治疗提供新的治疗方法。
