title: Antimicrobial activity of three tick defensins and four mammalian cathelicidin-derived synthetic peptides against Lyme disease spirochetes and bacteria isolated from the midgut.
abstract: In this study, chemically synthesized tick defensins and cathelicidin-derived mammalian peptides were used to investigate the activity spectrum against Borrelia garinii and symbiotic Stenotrophomonas maltophila. Synthetic tick defensins showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus but not B. garinii and S. maltophila. Mammalian peptides which have cationic property similar to tick defensins, showed antimicrobial activity similar to tick defensins. The antimicrobial peptides in ticks and mammalian hosts have common characteristics against microbial invasion in the innate immune system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease Control and Molecular Epidemiology, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Ishikari-Tobetsu 1757, Hokkaido, 061-0293, Japan. emiko@hoku-iryo-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Emiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Isogai
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Isogai
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi-Sakamoto
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000187:drug effects*; D023082:Defensins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D020615:Stenotrophomonas maltophilia / Q000187:drug effects*; D013987:Ticks / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology; D054804:Cathelicidins
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D023082:Defensins; D010455:Peptides; D054804:Cathelicidins