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Antimicrobial Peptides

  • Chapter
Book cover The Macrophage as Therapeutic Target

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 158))

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides, mainly defensins and cathelicidins, are abundant components of granulocytes, Paneth cells of the small intestine, inflamed epithelia, and rabbit alveolar macrophages. There is increasing evidence that in these settings antimicrobial peptides and larger proteins contribute to microbicidal activity and other host defense functions. However, antimicrobial peptides and antimicrobial proteins (with the exception of lysozyme) are present at most in small amounts in most types of macrophages. In some cases, antimicrobial peptides may be difficult to detect at the protein level because macrophages lack granules, the large preformed storage compartment for antimicrobial peptides of granulocytes and Paneth cells, and may instead synthesize antimicrobial substances continually or on demand. Alternatively, histones, other nucleoproteins, or as yet unrecognized polypeptides or nonprotein components may contribute to oxygen-independent killing in macrophages.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of California, 90095, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    T. Ganz & R. I. Lehrer

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  1. T. Ganz
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  2. R. I. Lehrer
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  1. Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3RE, Oxford, UK

    Siamon Gordon

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© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Ganz, T., Lehrer, R.I. (2003). Antimicrobial Peptides. In: Gordon, S. (eds) The Macrophage as Therapeutic Target. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 158. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55742-2_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55742-2_16

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-62919-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-55742-2

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