Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
8
pubmed:dateCreated
2010-4-12
pubmed:abstractText
Defensins constitute a major class of cationic antimicrobial peptides in mammals and vertebrates, acting as effectors of innate immunity against infectious microorganisms. It is generally accepted that defensins are bactericidal by disrupting the anionic microbial membrane. Here, we provide evidence that membrane activity of human alpha-defensins does not correlate with antibacterial killing. We further show that the alpha-defensin human neutrophil peptide-1 (HNP1) binds to the cell wall precursor lipid II and that reduction of lipid II levels in the bacterial membrane significantly reduces bacterial killing. The interaction between defensins and lipid II suggests the inhibition of cell wall synthesis as a novel antibacterial mechanism of this important class of host defense peptides.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Apr
pubmed:issn
1873-3468
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Published by Elsevier B.V.
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:day
16
pubmed:volume
584
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1543-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2010-12-3
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2010
pubmed:articleTitle
Functional interaction of human neutrophil peptide-1 with the cell wall precursor lipid II.
pubmed:affiliation
University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine, Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. edeleeuw2@ihv.umaryland.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural