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Human cathelicidin, hCAP-18, is processed to the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 by extracellular cleavage with proteinase 3

Sørensen, Ole E LU ; Follin, Per ; Johnsen, Anders H. ; Calafat, Jero ; Tjabringa, G. Sandra ; Hiemstra, Pieter S. and Borregaard, Niels (2001) In Blood 97(12). p.3951-3959
Abstract
Cathelicidins are a family of antimicrobial proteins found in the peroxidase-negative granules of neutrophils. The known biologic functions reside in the C-terminus, which must be cleaved from the holoprotein to become active. Bovine and porcine cathelicidins are cleaved by elastase from the azurophil granules to yield the active antimicrobial peptides. The aim of this study was to identify the physiological setting for cleavage of the only human cathelicidin, hCAP-18, to liberate the antibacterial and cytotoxic peptide LL-37 and to identify the protease responsible for this cleavage. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that both hCAP-18 and azurophil granule proteins were present in the phagolysosome. Immunoblotting revealed no... (More)
Cathelicidins are a family of antimicrobial proteins found in the peroxidase-negative granules of neutrophils. The known biologic functions reside in the C-terminus, which must be cleaved from the holoprotein to become active. Bovine and porcine cathelicidins are cleaved by elastase from the azurophil granules to yield the active antimicrobial peptides. The aim of this study was to identify the physiological setting for cleavage of the only human cathelicidin, hCAP-18, to liberate the antibacterial and cytotoxic peptide LL-37 and to identify the protease responsible for this cleavage. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that both hCAP-18 and azurophil granule proteins were present in the phagolysosome. Immunoblotting revealed no detectable cleavage of hCAP-18 in cells after phagocytosis. In contrast, hCAP-18 was cleaved to generate LL-37 in exocytosed material. Of the 3 known serine proteases from azurophil granules, proteinase 3 was solely responsible for cleavage of hCAP-18 after exocytosis. This is the first detailed study describing the generation of a human antimicrobial peptide from a promicrobicidal protein, and it demonstrates that the generation of active antimicrobial peptides from common proproteins occurs differently in related species. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Blood
volume
97
issue
12
pages
3951 - 3959
publisher
American Society of Hematology
external identifiers
  • pmid:11389039
  • scopus:0035877995
ISSN
1528-0020
DOI
10.1182/blood.V97.12.3951
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
17330cc5-eb03-425b-b1b7-17b107f16992 (old id 1119950)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:26:49
date last changed
2022-04-21 07:21:35
@article{17330cc5-eb03-425b-b1b7-17b107f16992,
  abstract     = {{Cathelicidins are a family of antimicrobial proteins found in the peroxidase-negative granules of neutrophils. The known biologic functions reside in the C-terminus, which must be cleaved from the holoprotein to become active. Bovine and porcine cathelicidins are cleaved by elastase from the azurophil granules to yield the active antimicrobial peptides. The aim of this study was to identify the physiological setting for cleavage of the only human cathelicidin, hCAP-18, to liberate the antibacterial and cytotoxic peptide LL-37 and to identify the protease responsible for this cleavage. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that both hCAP-18 and azurophil granule proteins were present in the phagolysosome. Immunoblotting revealed no detectable cleavage of hCAP-18 in cells after phagocytosis. In contrast, hCAP-18 was cleaved to generate LL-37 in exocytosed material. Of the 3 known serine proteases from azurophil granules, proteinase 3 was solely responsible for cleavage of hCAP-18 after exocytosis. This is the first detailed study describing the generation of a human antimicrobial peptide from a promicrobicidal protein, and it demonstrates that the generation of active antimicrobial peptides from common proproteins occurs differently in related species.}},
  author       = {{Sørensen, Ole E and Follin, Per and Johnsen, Anders H. and Calafat, Jero and Tjabringa, G. Sandra and Hiemstra, Pieter S. and Borregaard, Niels}},
  issn         = {{1528-0020}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{12}},
  pages        = {{3951--3959}},
  publisher    = {{American Society of Hematology}},
  series       = {{Blood}},
  title        = {{Human cathelicidin, hCAP-18, is processed to the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 by extracellular cleavage with proteinase 3}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.V97.12.3951}},
  doi          = {{10.1182/blood.V97.12.3951}},
  volume       = {{97}},
  year         = {{2001}},
}