Temporins, anti-infective peptides with expanding properties |
| |
Authors: | M L Mangoni |
| |
Institution: | (1) Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche ‘A. Rossi Fanelli’, Università ‘La Sapienza’, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy |
| |
Abstract: | Antimicrobial peptides are effector molecules of the innate immune response of all pluricellular organisms, providing them
with first-line defence against pathogens. Amphibian skin secretions represent one of the richest natural sources for such
peptide antibiotics, and temporins, a large family of antimicrobial peptides from frog skin, are among the smallest ones found
in nature to date. Their functional role and modes of action have been described, along with their interesting and unique
properties. These properties make temporins good molecules for an in-depth understanding of host defence peptides in general.
Furthermore, they are attractive templates for the future design of new therapeutics against infectious diseases with new
modes of action, urgently needed due to the increasing resistance of microorganisms to the available drugs.
Received 8 November 2005; received after revision 19 December 2005; accepted 18 January 2006 |
| |
Keywords: | Frog skin secretion antimicrobial peptide temporin infectious disease membrane-active peptide lipid-peptide interaction innate immunity |
本文献已被 PubMed SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|