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Chemerin is an antimicrobial agent in human epidermis
Magdalena Banas1, Katarzyna Zabieglo, Gopinath Kasetty
1Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.
Plos One
|March 26, 2013
Summary
Chemerin, a skin protein, demonstrates antimicrobial properties by directly lysing bacteria. This finding reveals chemerin
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Microbiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Chemerin is a chemoattractant ligand for chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1).
- Chemerin shares structural similarities with antibacterial cathelicidins and exhibits antimicrobial activity in recombinant forms.
- Endogenous chemerin is present in human epidermis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of endogenous chemerin in the antimicrobial defense of human skin.
- To identify the specific region of chemerin responsible for its antibacterial activity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of endogenous chemerin abundance in human epidermis.
- Assessment of bacterial growth inhibition in human skin keratinocyte exudates.
- Synthesis and testing of overlapping chemerin-derived peptides for antimicrobial activity.
Main Results:
- Inhibition of bacterial growth by skin exudates is significantly dependent on chemerin.
- The peptide segment Val(66)-Pro(85) of chemerin is primarily responsible for its antibacterial effect.
- This peptide segment mediates antibacterial activity through direct bacterial lysis.
Conclusions:
- Chemerin functions as an endogenous antimicrobial agent in human skin.
- The Val(66)-Pro(85) region of chemerin is crucial for its direct lytic antimicrobial activity.
- Chemerin represents a novel component of the skin's innate immune system.
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