FALL-39, a putative human peptide antibiotic, is cysteine-free and expressed in bone marrow and testis.

PR-39, a proline/arginine-rich peptide antibiotic, has been purified from pig intestine and later shown to originate in the bone marrow. Intending to isolate a clone for a human counterpart to PR-39, we synthesized a PCR probe derived from the PR-39 gene. However, when this probe was used to screen a human bone marrow cDNA library, eight clones were obtained with information for another putative human peptide antibiotic, designated FALL-39 after the first four residues. FALL-39 is a 39-residue peptide lacking cysteine and tryptophan. All human peptide antibiotics previously isolated (or predicted) belong to the defensin family and contain three disulfide bridges. The clone for prepro-FALL-39 encodes a cathelin-like precursor protein with 170 amino acid residues. We have postulated a dibasic processing site for the mature FALL-39 and chemically synthesized the putative peptide. In basal medium E, synthetic FALL-39 was highly active against Escherichia coli and Bacillus megaterium. Residues 13-34 in FALL-39 can be predicted to form a perfect amphiphatic helix, and CD spectra showed that medium E induced 30% helix formation in FALL-39. RNA blot analyses disclosed that the gene for FALL-39 is expressed mainly in human bone marrow and testis.     

Obesity treated with phototherapy: Four case studies

We studied the effect of phototherapy on body weight in 4 overweight women. Melatonin was measured in the serum and urine before and after 1 hr of bright light (350 cd/m²). Psychiatric self-ratings with the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were performed. Phototherapy (1,500 lux) was given daily at 7–9 a.m. for 10 days and thereafter twice weekly for another 4 1/2 weeks. Three of the 4 women reduced their net weight (1.5–2.4 kg) and improved in mood. All were sensitive to light. The findings indicate that phototherapy affects the melatonin-serotonin system and carbohydrate regulation and may reduce body weight. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.