GENE-ENCODED PEPTIDE ANTIBIOTICS AND THE CONCEPT OF INNATE IMMUNITY -AN UPDATE REVIEW

Antibacterial peptides were first considered rather species-specific. However, the perspective began to change in 1987-89. Five years later there were two symposium volumes and several reviews on gene-encoded p eptide antibiotics which covered the known peptides irrespective of or igin. The field is rapidly growing and a first update was published in this Journal in 1996. At that time a database was made with about 100 entries; now it has over 400, with some redundancy. Recently a method ological handbook was published and there are many specialized reviews covering only defensins or insect immunity. In the last 2 years, the larger perspective of innate immunity and the role of gene-mediated pe ptide antibiotics have evolved in ways which justify a new update. Tod ay insects and plants are known to have similar overall design of thei r defensins while insects and mammals have very similar control mechan isms. The signal pathways are beginning to appear and the future persp ective may involve additional changes.