Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., Volume 19, Number 3, September, 1998 352-356

RAPID COMMUNICATION
Antibacterial Peptides in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid

D. Schnapp and A. Harris

Paediatric Molecular Genetics, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford University, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom

Defensins and other antimicrobial peptides act in the innate host defense of epithelial surfaces. Human beta defensin 1 (hBD-1) has recently been shown to be expressed in airway epithelial cells and so has been implicated as a primary component of antibacterial activity in human lung. We attempted to purify these molecules from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Extraction of BALF on SepPak C-18 cartridges, followed by continuous acid-urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography yielded one fraction with antibacterial activity associated with factors of < 6.5 kD. N-terminal amino acid sequencing identified these peptides as human neutrophil defensins (HD) 1 through 3. No hBD-1 was detected. Together with lysozyme, it appears that HD-1 through -3 are the most prominent antimicrobial factors in BALF. The contribution of epithelial defensins such as hBD-1 to antibacterial defense of human airway in vivo remains to be elucidated.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Elahi, R. Brownlie, J. Korzeniowski, R. Buchanan, B. O'Connor, M. S. Peppler, S. A. Halperin, S. F. Lee, L. A. Babiuk, and V. Gerdts Infection of Newborn Piglets with Bordetella pertussis: a New Model for Pertussis Infect. Immun., June 1, 2005; 73(6): 3636 - 3645. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Ganz Antimicrobial polypeptides J. Leukoc. Biol., January 1, 2004; 75(1): 34 - 38. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Cole, H.-I Liao, O. Stuchlik, J. Tilan, J. Pohl, and T. Ganz Cationic Polypeptides Are Required for Antibacterial Activity of Human Airway Fluid J. Immunol., December 15, 2002; 169(12): 6985 - 6991. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Paone, A. Wada, L. A. Stevens, A. Matin, T. Hirayama, R. L. Levine, and J. Moss ADP ribosylation of human neutrophil peptide-1 regulates its biological properties PNAS, June 11, 2002; 99(12): 8231 - 8235. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Augusto, K. Le Blay, G. Auger, D. Blanot, and R. Chaby Interaction of bacterial lipopolysaccharide with mouse surfactant protein C inserted into lipid vesicles Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, October 1, 2001; 281(4): L776 - L785. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Teramoto, T. Mastsue, Y. Ouchi, and B. K. Rubin Manipulation of Volume vs Osmolality in Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease Chest, November 1, 1999; 116(5): 1494 - 1495. [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. AGERBERTH, J. GRUNEWALD, E. CASTAÑOS-VELEZ, B. OLSSON, H. JÖRNVALL, H. WIGZELL, A. EKLUND, and G. H. GUDMUNDSSON Antibacterial Components in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid from Healthy Individuals and Sarcoidosis Patients Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., July 1, 1999; 160(1): 283 - 290. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S. M. Travis, B.-A. D. Conway, J. Zabner, J. J. Smith, N. N. Anderson, P. K. Singh, E. Peter Greenberg, and M. J. Welsh Activity of Abundant Antimicrobials of the Human Airway Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., May 1, 1999; 20(5): 872 - 879. [Abstract] [Full Text]