title: Susceptibility of Treponema pallidum to host-derived antimicrobial peptides.
abstract: LL-37 displays potent broad-spectrum activity against a number of pathogenic bacteria and is the only cathelicidin thus far identified in humans. In this study, we examined the capacity of human LL-37 and the similar CAP-18-derived peptide from rabbits to exert antimicrobial activity against the causative agent of syphilis, Treponema pallidum. We found that both peptides, as well as a truncated version of human LL-37 that contains its bactericidal domain, could exert rapid, but salt-sensitive antimicrobial activity against T. pallidum. Infectivity of T. pallidum in a rabbit model could effectively be blocked with the synthetic truncated LL-37-derived peptide WS22-N-amide.
authors.affiliation: Sexually Transmitted Infections Branch, Division of AIDS, STD and TB Laboratory Research, Center for HIV and STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. dlc6@cdc.gov
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Yongcheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Hsi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Robert I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Lehrer
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Shafer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits; D013587:Syphilis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D054804:Cathelicidins
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C492630:WS22-N-amide; D054804:Cathelicidins