CRAMP-18 – Antimicrobial Peptides – AMP

Cathelicidin-related anti-microbial peptide (CRAMP), is the mouse homologue of the human LL-37 antimicrobial peptide and shares 67% sequence identity with LL-37. CRAMP-18 is the anti-bacterial sequence derived from CRAMP, it possesses potent anti-bacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains with no haemolytic activity. As well as displaying direct anti-microbial activity, CRAMP-18 also binds to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to neutralise LPS activity. CRAMP is a cationic peptide, encoded for by the Camp gene and is highly expressed in bone marrow. Its expression is up-regulated by infectious and inflammatory signals and it is secreted by cells such as neutrophils, epithelial cells, and macrophages.