# Cathelicidin in Skin Immunity

> **NIH NIH R37** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2021 · $564,676

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a broad classification assigned to many gene products that have the ability
to kill or inhibit the growth of microbes. Cathelicidins are a major family of AMPs that are expressed in
vertebrates to provide defense against infection, and inactivated by pathogens as a mechanism to enhance
virulence. Although the cathelicidin gene is evolutionarily conserved within vertebrates, the sequence of exon 4
of the cathelicidin gene has diverged significantly between species. This exon encodes the carboxy-terminus of
the precursor protein that is post-translationally processed into the final mature AMP. The structure of this
mature peptide is critical for function within the specific defense context. For example, the human cathelicidin
gene CAMP if expressed as the mature peptide LL37 has potent pro-inflammatory activity in addition to its
capacity to kill microbes. This provides enhanced host defense during infection when such expression is
appropriate, but promotes several human skin diseases where inappropriate expression occurs. Because
cathelicidin appears to drive human inflammatory diseases such as rosacea and psoriasis, it is important to
understand the mechanism of action of this unique AMP. The basis of this renewal proposal are exciting new
preliminary data that have provided a breakthrough in understanding how LL37 mediates inflammation.
Findings suggest that LL37 mediates receptor-dependent recognition of nucleic acids. We have termed this
process “innate immune vetting” since we hypothesize that LL37 dictates if nucleic acids will induce an
inflammatory response. The overall goal of this renewal application is to better understand the mechanism by
which LL37 triggers inflammation and explore potential strategies that will modify this event and treat disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10102166
- **Project number:** 5R37AI052453-18
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Richard L Gallo
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $564,676
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2002-09-15 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10102166

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10102166, Cathelicidin in Skin Immunity (5R37AI052453-18). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10102166. Licensed CC0.

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