Effects on antigen-presenting cells of short-term interaction with the human host defence peptide beta-defensin 2

SR-IRMS capabilities were exploited for highlighting complementary mechanims of action, never discovered before, of host defence peptide β-defensin 2 in modulating adaptive immunity.

 

F. Morgera et al., Biochem. J. 436, 537 (2011)


hBD2 (human β-defensin 2) is an antimicrobial peptidethat plays a role in alerting and enhancing cellular components of innate and adaptive immunity. In the present study, SR-IRMS was employed for studying the peptide interaction with iDCs (immature dendritic cells). A different iDC response to short-term exposure to hBD2 was elicited and correlated with a peculiar cellular morphology and internal complexity, as revealed also by flow cytometry. Prominent differences in lipid order and composition were detected between responsive iDCs; in particular, a relevant decrease in the IR-signal of carbonyl ester of phospholipids, below the detection limit, was observed in the cytoplasmic region as a consequence of hBD2 exposure and related

 to cellular degranulation upon activation. These events were associated with the chemotaxis of iDCs, which appears to occur not only via CCR6 (CC chemokine Receptor 6)-dependent mechanism but also via a CCR6-independent one, involving a meaningful re-organization of the endomembrane system.

 
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Effects on antigen-presenting cells of short-term interaction with the human host defence peptide β-defensin 2.
F. Morgera, S. Pacor, L. Creatti, N. Antcheva, L. Vaccari.
Biochem. J. 436, 537-546 (2011)
Last Updated on Thursday, 20 December 2012 15:05