Peptides from non-immune proteins target infections through antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties.

ABSTRACT: Encrypted peptides (EPs) have been recently described as a new class of antimicrobial molecules. They have been found in numerous organisms and have been proposed to have a role in host immunity and as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Intriguingly, many of these EPs are found embedded in proteins unrelated to the immune system, suggesting that immunological responses extend beyond traditional host immunity proteins. To test this idea, we synthesized and analyzed representative peptides derived from non-immune human proteins for their ability to exert antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. Most of the tested peptides from non-immune proteins, derived from structural proteins as well as proteins from the nervous and visual systems, displayed potent in vitro antimicrobial act

SUBMITTER: Torres MDT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12818343 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature