Antimicrobial Peptides: Properties and Applicability
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Wim van t Hof
, Enno C.I. Veerman , Eva J. Helmerhorst und Arie V. Nieuw Amerongen
Abstract
All organisms need protection against microorganisms, e. g. bacteria, viruses and fungi. For many years, attention has been focused on adaptive immunity as the main antimicrobial defense system. However, the adaptive immune system, with its network of humoral and cellular responses is only found in higher animals, while innate immunity is encountered in all living creatures. The turning point in the appreciation of the innate immunity was the discovery of antimicrobial peptides in the early eighties. In general these peptides act by disrupting the structural integrity of the microbial membranes. It has become clear that membraneactive peptides and proteins play a crucial role in both the innate and the adaptive immune system as antimicrobial agents. This review is focused on the functional and structural features of the naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides, and discusses their potential as therapeutics.
Copyright © 2001 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
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- Dendritic Cells for Specific Cancer Immunotherapy
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- Revealing the Potential of DNA-Based Vaccination: Lessons Learned from the Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen
- Progress toward a Malaria Vaccine: Efficient Induction of Protective Anti-Malaria Immunity
- Peptide Vaccines and Peptide Libraries
- Defined Synthetic Vaccines
- Antimicrobial Peptides: Properties and Applicability
- G-Quadruplex DNA Structures Variations on a Theme
- The Role of Heat Shock Proteins and Their Receptors in the Activation of the Immune System
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