Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are distributed across all kingdoms of life and are an
indispensable component of host defenses. They consist of predominantly short cationic …

Defensins are a family of cationic antimicrobial peptides active against a broad range of
infectious microbes including bacteria, viruses and fungi, playing important roles as innate …

Life-threatening infectious diseases are on their way to cause a worldwide crisis, as treating
them effectively is becoming increasingly difficult due to the emergence of antibiotic resistant …

Paneth cells are highly specialized epithelial cells of the small intestine, where they
coordinate many physiological functions. First identified more than a century ago on the …

The production of natural antibiotic peptides has emerged as an important mechanism of
innate immunity in plants and animals. Defensins are diverse members of a large family of …

As the key components of innate immunity, human host defense antimicrobial peptides and
proteins (AMPs) play a critical role in warding off invading microbial pathogens. In addition …

The growing public health problem of infections caused by multiresistant Gram-positive
bacteria, in particularStaphylococcus aureus, prompted us to screen human epithelia for …

The airway epithelium represents the first point of contact for inhaled foreign organisms. The
protective arsenal of the airway epithelium is provided in the form of physical barriers and a …

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are essential elements of thehost defense system.
Characterized by heterogenous structures and broad‐spectrumaction, they are promising …

As a family of cationic host defense peptides, defensins are mainly synthesized by Paneth
cells, neutrophils, and epithelial cells, contributing to host defense. Their biological functions …