The antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin is required for lung repair

Rationale: The antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin is expressed in cells of the innate immune system like macrophages, neutrophils and bronchial epithelial cells. Humans and mice express only one cathelicidin which is termed hCAP-18/LL-37 in humans and CRAMP in mice. Besides its antimicrobial properties cathelicidin has been shown to regulate tumor growth and angiogenesis in vivo, and wound repair in vitro. To investigate the contribution of CRAMP to wound repair in vivo we used CRAMP-ko mice in two lung damage models. We can show that CRAMP contributes to the regeneration of airway epithelial cells after naphtha…