Journal of Clinical and Cellular Immunology
Open Access

Abstract

Clinical Relevance of Cathelicidin in Infectious Disease

Annika Linde, Gerald H. Lushington, Javier Abello and Tonatiuh Melgarejo

The human body is subjected to constant microbial exposure from both a resident microbiome as well as the surrounding environment. Staying healthy in a world filled with “dangers” as such necessitates gene-encoded tools to enable an immediate and effective immunological shield. Antimicrobial host defense peptides are imperative to an apt innate immune response in which they serve both regulatory as well as executorial roles to eliminate infectious pathogens, control inflammation, and support healing of injured tissue. Cathelicidin peptides were originally isolated from bone marrow and neutrophils, although their pattern of expression is now known to span a broader spectrum. The clinical importance of an effective host defense peptide repertoire is best illustrated by data from patient groups with a deficient expression pattern and increased disease susceptibility, as well as experimental work with relevant animal models. This review paper is focused on the human cathelicidin LL37 and its clinical implications in infectious disease.