Human epidermis elaborates two small cationic, highly hydrophobic antimicrobial peptides (AMP), beta-defensin 2 (hBD2), and the carboxypeptide cleavage product of human cathelicidin (hCAP18), LL-37, which are co-packaged along with lipids within epidermal lamellar bodies (LBs) before their secretion. Because of their colocalization, we hypothesized that AMP and barrier lipid production could be coregulated by altered permeability barrier requirements. mRNA and immunostainable protein levels for mBD3 and cathelin-related antimicrobial peptide (CRAMP) (murine homologues of hBD2 and LL-37, respectively) increase 1-8 hours after acute permeability barrier disruption and normalize by 24 hours, kinetics that mirror the lipid metabolic response to permeability barrier disruption. Artificial permeability barrier restoration, which inhibits the lipid-synthetic response leading to barrier recovery, blocks the increase in AMP mRNA/protein expression, further evidence that AMP expression is linked to permeability barrier function. Conversely, LB-derived AMPs are also important for permeability barrier homeostasis. Despite an apparent increase in mBD3 protein, CRAMP-/- mice delayed permeability barrier recovery, attributable to defective LB contents and abnormalities in the structure of the lamellar membranes that regulate permeability barrier function. These studies demonstrate that (1) the permeability and antimicrobial barriers are coordinately regulated by permeability barrier requirements and (2) CRAMP is required for permeability barrier homeostasis.

The skin is the first line of defense against microbial infection, and psychological stress (PS) has been shown to have adverse effects on cutaneous barrier function. Here we show that PS increased the severity of group A Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) cutaneous skin infection in mice; this was accompanied by increased production of endogenous glucocorticoids (GCs), which inhibited epidermal lipid synthesis and decreased lamellar body (LB) secretion. LBs encapsulate antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and PS or systemic or topical GC administration downregulated epidermal expression of murine AMPs cathelin-related AMP and β-defensin 3. Pharmacological blockade of the stress hormone corticotrophin-releasing factor or of peripheral GC action, as well as topical administration of physiologic lipids, normalized epidermal AMP levels and delivery to LBs and decreased the severity of GAS infection during PS. Our results show that PS decreases the levels of 2 key AMPs in the epidermis and their delivery into LBs and that this is attributable to increased endogenous GC production. These data suggest that GC blockade and/or topical lipid administration could normalize cutaneous antimicrobial defense during PS or GC increase. We believe this to be the first mechanistic link between PS and increased susceptibility to infection by microbial pathogens.

These results provide evidence that acute sleep loss enhances hedonic stimulus processing in the brain underlying the drive to consume food, independent of plasma glucose levels. These findings highlight a potentially important mechanism contributing to the growing levels of obesity in Western society.

The cyanobacterial neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is an amino acid that is putatively associated with the pathology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/Parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS-PDC) disease. It raises serious health risk concerns since cyanobacteria are ubiquitous thus making human exposure almost inevitable. The identification and quantification of BMAA in cyanobacteria is challenging because it is present only in trace amounts and occurs alongside structurally similar compounds such as BMAA isomers. This work describes an enhanced liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry platform that can distinguish BMAA from its isomers β-amino-N-methyl-alanine, N-(2-aminoethyl) glycine (AEG), and 2,4-diaminobutyric acid, thus ensuring confident identification of BMAA. The method's sensitivity was improved fourfold by a post-column addition of acetonitrile. The instrument and method limits of detection were shown to be 4.2 fmol/injection (or 0.5 pg/one column) and 0.1 μg/g dry weight of cyanobacteria, respectively. The quantification method uses synthesized deuterated BMAA as an internal standard and exhibits good linearity, accuracy, and precision. Matrix effects were also investigated, revealing an ion enhancement of around 18 %. A lab-cultured cyanobacterial sample (Leptolyngbya PCC73110) was analyzed and shown to contain about 0.73 μg/g dry weight BMAA. The isomer AEG, whose chromatographic properties closely resemble those of BMAA, was also detected. These results highlight the importance of distinguishing BMAA from its isomers for reliable identification as well as providing a sensitive and accurate quantification method for measuring trace levels of BMAA in cyanobacterial samples.