The human antimicrobial and chemotactic peptides LL-37 and α-defensins are expressed by specific lymphocyte and monocyte populations
Abstract
We identified antibacterial components in human T and natural killer (NK) cells by using freshly isolated lymphocytes enriched for T and NK cells as starting material. After growing these lymphocytes for 5 days in the presence of interleukin (IL)–2, we isolated and characterized several antibacterial peptides/proteins from the supernatant—α-defensins (HNP 1-3), LL-37, lysozyme, and a fragment of histone H2B—although other active components were also present. We then used reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction to search for expression of the gene coding for LL-37 in several B-cell lines, γδ T-cell lines, NK clones, and one monocytic cell line, with positive results, but found no expression in several αβ T-cell lines. The α-defensins (HNP 1-3) were also found to be expressed in several of these cell lines. To confirm the presence of these antibacterial peptides in lymphocytes, we localized them to NK, γδ T cells, B cells, and monocytes/macrophages by using double-staining immunohistochemical analysis of freshly isolated lymphocytes. We also found that primary cultures of lymphocytes transcribe and secrete LL-37 and that these processes are affected by IL-6 and interferon-γ. In addition, we demonstrated that LL-37 has chemotactic activity for polymorphonuclear leukocytes and CD4 T lymphocytes, whereas others have shown chemotactic activity for human α-defensins (HNP 1-2). These findings suggest that microbicidal peptides are effector molecules of lymphocytes and that antibacterial activity previously shown to be derived from T and NK cells may be partly mediated by the antibacterial peptides LL-37 and HNP 1-3.
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Although expressed in only very low levels in epidermal keratinocytes under resting conditions, cathelicidin is found in high levels in neutrophils, monocytes, natural killer cells, and T cells.
“Although expressed in only very low levels in epidermal keratinocytes under resting conditions, it is found in high levels in neutrophils, monocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, and T cells.40,41”
From The Innate Immune System in Acute and Chronic Wounds (2016) · cites this paper as [40]
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- Authors
- Agerberth, B., Charo, J., Werr, J., Olsson, B., Idali, F., Lindbom, L., Kiessling, R., Jörnvall, H., Wigzell, H., & Gudmundsson, G. H.
- Affiliations
- Karolinska University Hospital (SE)
- From the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics; Microbiology and Tumorbiology Center, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; the Center for Cancer Research at Karolinska, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Venue
- Blood
- Publisher
- American Society of Hematology
- Published
- 2000-11-01
- Volume
- 96
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 3086-3093
- ISSN
- 0006-4971 (ISSN-L)
- 1528-0020
- OpenAlex
- W1943160106
- Cited by
- 758
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 43 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 34
- FWCI
- 16.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Blood (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Chemokine receptors and signaling
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune Response and Inflammation
- Keywords
- LL-37, alpha-defensins, human neutrophil peptides, antibacterial peptides, antimicrobial peptides, natural killer cells, γδ T cells, B cells, monocytes, lymphocyte subsets, chemotactic activity, interleukin-6, interferon-gamma, lysozyme, gene expression
- MeSH terms
- Anti-Bacterial Agents, B-Lymphocytes, Carrier Proteins, Cell Line, Chemotaxis, Leukocyte, Cloning, Molecular, Histones, Humans, Immunohistochemistry, Interferon-gamma, Killer Cells, Natural, Lymphocyte Activation, Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Muramidase, Neutrophils, T-Lymphocytes, Interleukin-6, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, alpha-Defensins, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides, Cathelicidins, In Vitro Techniques
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