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Gene‐encoded peptide antibiotics and innate immunity
Author(s) -
Barra Donatella,
Simmaco Maurizio,
Boman Hans G
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(98)00494-3
Subject(s) - innate immune system , biology , antibiotics , immunity , immune system , in vivo , peptide , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , bacteria , antimicrobial peptides , flora (microbiology) , function (biology) , immunology , peptide biosynthesis , antibacterial peptide , in vitro , antimicrobial , genetics , biochemistry , antibacterial activity , ribosome , rna
Gene‐encoded peptide antibiotics have been isolated from plants, animals and microbes. Their protective role has been related to innate immunity, which has gradually become accepted across the biomedical community. The evidence for the immune function of peptide antibiotics has been convincingly demonstrated by a combination of both in vitro and in vivo data for plants and insects, but for vertebrates in vivo data are scarce. Using frogs as model systems, it has been shown that the genes for antibacterial peptides are down‐regulated by glucocorticoids, while IκBα is clearly up‐regulated. Experimental infections with frog bacteria have shown that the normal capacity to control the natural flora is lost after treatment with glucocorticoids. A low‐specificity immune mechanism is cost‐effective, something that may have been of importance during animal evolution.