Paneth cell α-defensins HD-5 and HD-6 display differential degradation into active antimicrobial fragments.

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial peptides, in particular α-defensins expressed by Paneth cells, control microbiota composition and play a key role in intestinal barrier function and homeostasis. Dynamic conditions in the local microenvironment, such as pH and redox potential, significantly affect the antimicrobial spectrum. In contrast to oxidized peptides, some reduced defensins exhibit increased vulnerability to proteolytic degradation. In this report, we investigated the susceptibility of Paneth-cell-specific human α-defensin 5 (HD-5) and -6 (HD-6) to intestinal proteases using natural human duodenal fluid. We systematically assessed proteolytic degradation using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and identified several active defensin fragments capable of impacting bacterial growth of both commensal

SUBMITTER: Ehmann D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6397583 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature