Peptide gets in shape for self-defence

摘要

Among the immune mediators that fight microorganisms within us, one is human β-defensin 1 (hBD-1). This peptide, which was first described1 in 1995, is continually expressed in skin and epithelial cells throughout the body2. But because its direct antibacterial properties are modest, the reason it stands guard at interfaces between microbe-laden environments-such as the colon or skin-and their adjacent, normally sterile tissues has remained enigmatic. On page 419 of this issue, Schroeder et al.3 show that the mild antibacterial activity of hBD-1 changes drastically after it undergoes a chemically induced change in shape.