title: Antimicrobial psoriasin (S100A7) protects human skin from Escherichia coli infection.
abstract: Human healthy skin is continuously exposed to bacteria, but is particularly resistant to the common gut bacterium Escherichia coli. We show here that keratinocytes secrete, as the main E. coli-killing compound, the S100 protein psoriasin in vitro and in vivo in a site-dependent way. In vivo treatment of human skin with antibodies to psoriasin inhibited its E. coli-killing properties. Psoriasin was induced in keratinocytes in vitro and in vivo by E. coli, indicating that its focal expression in skin may derive from local microbial induction. Zn(2+)-saturated psoriasin showed diminished antimicrobial activity, suggesting that Zn(2+) sequestration could be a possible antimicrobial mechanism. Thus, psoriasin may be key to the resistance of skin against E. coli.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Unit of the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Regine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gläser
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harder
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bartels
authors.forename: Enno
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Christophers
authors.forename: Jens-Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schröder
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D000075023:S100 Calcium Binding Protein A7; D009418:S100 Proteins; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D000075023:S100 Calcium Binding Protein A7; D009418:S100 Proteins; C089242:S100A7 protein, human; D015032:Zinc