Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Antimicrobial Proteins01:23

Antimicrobial Proteins

957
Antimicrobial proteins are important components of the immune system. They aid the body in combating pathogens by either killing them directly or hindering their replication processes. Four main types of antimicrobial substances are interferons, the complement system, iron-binding proteins, and antimicrobial proteins.
Interferons
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts infected with viruses. While IFNs cannot prevent viruses from entering and...
957
Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens01:31

Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens

1.4K
The human immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against bacterial infections. It consists of various immune cells, each playing a specific role in the defense mechanism.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
1.4K
Cells of the Innate Immune Response01:28

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

1.6K
The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
1.6K
Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages01:30

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages

70.6K
Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the...
70.6K
Antibody Actions01:26

Antibody Actions

1.1K
Antibodies, or immunoglobulins, are critical players in the immune system's arsenal against invading pathogens. Produced by B cells and plasma cells, their primary role is to detect and bind to specific antigens, molecules found on the surface of pathogens like bacteria or viruses. Beyond antigen recognition, antibodies perform several vital functions that contribute to immune defense.
Neutralization
Antibodies can bind to pathogens, preventing them from infecting host cells. This process...
1.1K
Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes01:25

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes

1.4K
Immune surveillance is an integral part of the innate immune system, involving the continuous monitoring of peripheral tissues to detect and respond to pathogens, infected cells, or cancerous cells. This surveillance is conducted primarily by natural killer (NK) cells and phagocytes, which employ distinct but complementary mechanisms to identify and eliminate threats.
Natural Killer Cells: The Fast Responders
NK cells are large granular lymphocytes found in the blood and lymphatic system. These...
1.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Reply to González González et al.: The contribution of bacteria to kidney stone formation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Tetrameric assembly disruption impairs CXCL4 chaperon ability for DNA and type I interferon immune amplification.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

Examining the role of lipids in hearing.

eLife·2026
Same author

Computational discovery of precision therapeutics for hidradenitis suppurativa.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Artificial intelligence-enabled precision medicine for inflammatory skin diseases.

The Journal of investigative dermatology·2026
Same author

The Dp16 Down syndrome mouse model does not exhibit oral interferon-gammopathy or susceptibility to oral candidiasis.

mBio·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2025

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
07:47

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases

Published on: January 1, 2016

11.5K

Chemokines Kill Bacteria by Binding Anionic Phospholipids without Triggering Antimicrobial Resistance.

Sergio M Pontejo1, Sophia Martinez1, Allison Zhao1

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|August 2, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Chemokines kill bacteria by binding to anionic phospholipids like cardiolipin in bacterial membranes. This mechanism offers a new strategy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Keywords:
Antimicrobial peptidesantibioticscardiolipinmultidrug-resistant microorganismsphosphatidylglycerolphospholipids

More Related Videos

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing
08:19

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing

Published on: July 7, 2020

10.3K
Methods to Study Lipid Alterations in Neutrophils and the Subsequent Formation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps
10:58

Methods to Study Lipid Alterations in Neutrophils and the Subsequent Formation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

Published on: March 29, 2017

9.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2025

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
07:47

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases

Published on: January 1, 2016

11.5K
Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing
08:19

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing

Published on: July 7, 2020

10.3K
Methods to Study Lipid Alterations in Neutrophils and the Subsequent Formation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps
10:58

Methods to Study Lipid Alterations in Neutrophils and the Subsequent Formation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

Published on: March 29, 2017

9.5K

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Chemokines traditionally regulate immune cell movement.
  • Many chemokines exhibit direct antibacterial activity in vitro.
  • The precise antimicrobial mechanisms and properties of chemokines are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the biochemical properties defining antimicrobial chemokines.
  • To elucidate the mechanism of chemokine-mediated bacterial killing.
  • To explore the potential of chemokines as novel antibiotics.

Main Methods:

  • Assessing chemokine binding to bacterial phospholipids (cardiolipin, phosphatidylglycerol).
  • Testing chemokine antimicrobial activity against *Escherichia coli* and *Staphylococcus aureus*.
  • Investigating the role of cardiolipin in chemokine-bacterial interactions using biochemical and genetic approaches.

Main Results:

  • Antimicrobial activity correlates with the ability of chemokines to bind cardiolipin and phosphatidylglycerol.
  • Chemokines demonstrate potent bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects against *E. coli*, exceeding beta-defensin 3.
  • Interference with chemokine-cardiolipin binding impairs bacterial killing and membrane disruption.
  • *E. coli* did not develop resistance to chemokines in vitro.

Conclusions:

  • Cardiolipin and phosphatidylglycerol are key binding partners for antimicrobial chemokines.
  • Chemokines represent a promising class of novel antibiotics.
  • The chemokine-cardiolipin interaction offers a potential strategy to overcome antibiotic resistance.