Complex regulation of human cathelicidin gene expression: novel splice variants and 5'UTR negative regulatory element.

ABSTRACT: Cationic antimicrobial peptides play important roles in host defense, linking innate and adaptive immunity. hCAP18, the only human antimicrobial cathelicidin, consists of a conserved N-terminal cathelin-like domain and a C-terminal peptide, LL-37. Expression is regulated during myeloid differentiation, and tightly controlled during infection and inflammation, suggesting active regulation. Using 5' RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends), multiple transcription initiation sites were identified, as well as new splice variants leading to novel augmentations of hCAP18 amino acid composition in bone marrow but not peripheral blood neutrophils. Having expressed hCAP18 promoter constructs in cell lines, we found that full-length (-1739) and truncated (-978) promoter constructs had lower luciferas

SUBMITTER: Elloumi HZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2121615 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature