GENE-ENCODED PEPTIDE ANTIBIOTICS AND INNATE IMMUNITY - DO ANIMALCULESHAVE DEFENSE BUDGETS

Gene-encoded peptide antibiotics have been isolated from plants, anima ls and microbes. Their protective role has been related to innate immu nity, which has gradually become accepted across the biomedical commun ity, The evidence for the immune function of peptide antibiotics has b een convincingly demonstrated by a combination of both in vitro and in vivo data for plants and insects, but for vertebrates in vivo data ar e scarce. Using frogs as model systems, it has been shown that the gen es for antibacterial peptides are down-regulated by glucocorticoids, w hile I kappa B alpha is clearly up-regulated, Experimental infections with frog bacteria have shown that the normal capacity to control the natural flora is lost after treatment with glucocorticoids, A low-spec ificity immune mechanism is cost-effective, something that may have be en of importance during animal evolution. (C) 1998 Federation of Europ ean Biochemical Societies.