muramidase and protegrin-1

Innate immunity plays an important role in protection against respiratory infections in humans and animals. Host defense peptides such as beta-defensins represent major components of innate immunity. We recently developed a novel porcine model of pertussis, an important respiratory disease of young children and infants worldwide. Here, we investigated the role of porcine beta-defensin 1 (pBD-1), a porcine defensin homologue of human beta-defensin 2, in conferring protection against respiratory infection with Bordetella pertussis. In this model, newborn piglets were fully susceptible to infection and developed severe bronchopneumonia. In contrast, piglets older than 4 weeks of age were protected against infection with B. pertussis. Protection was associated with the expression of pBD-1 in the upper respiratory tract. In fact, pBD-1 expression was developmentally regulated, and the absence of pBD-1 was thought to contribute to the increased susceptibility of newborn piglets to infection with B. pertussis. Bronchoalveolar lavage specimens collected from older animals as well as chemically synthesized pBD-1 displayed strong antimicrobial activity against B. pertussis in vitro. Furthermore, in vivo treatment of newborn piglets with only 500 mug pBD-1 at the time of challenge conferred protection against infection with B. pertussis. Interestingly, pBD-1 displayed no bactericidal activity in vitro against Bordetella bronchiseptica, a closely related natural pathogen of pigs. Our results demonstrate that host defense peptides play an important role in protection against pertussis and are essential in modulating innate immune responses against respiratory infections.

Topics: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; beta-Defensins; Bordetella pertussis; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Female; Immunity, Innate; Lactoferrin; Lung; Muramidase; Pertussis Vaccine; Proteins; Respiratory Mucosa; Sodium Chloride; Swine; Whooping Cough

A single animal can express several cationic antimicrobial peptides with different sequences and structures. We demonstrate that mammalian peptides from different structural classes frequently show synergy with each other and selectively show synergy with human lysozyme.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; Drug Synergism; Escherichia coli; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Muramidase; Peptides; Peptides, Cyclic; Proteins; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Staphylococcus aureus