Wound Healing Properties of Histatin-5 and Identification of a Functional Domain Required for Histatin-5-Induced Cell Migration

• Published in: Molecular therapy. Methods & clinical development 2020-06, Vol.17, p.709-716
• Main Authors: Shah, Dhara, Son, Kyung-No, Kalmodia, Sushma, Lee, Bao-Shiang, Ali, Marwan, Balasubramaniam, Arun, Shukla, Deepak, Aakalu, Vinay Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cornea; domain; epithelium; histatin; peptide; wound healing
• ISSN: 2329-0501; 2329-0501
• DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.03.027

Histatin peptides are endogenous anti-microbial peptides that were originally discovered in the saliva. Aside from their broad anti-microbial properties, these peptides play an important role in multiple biological systems. Different members of this family are thought to have relative specializations, with histatin-5 originally being thought to have mostly anti-fungal properties, and histatin-1 having strong wound healing properties. In this report, we describe the robust wound healing properties of histatin-5 and elucidate a functional domain, which is necessary and sufficient for promoting wound healing. We demonstrate these findings in multiple different cell types in vitro and with a standardized murine corneal wound healing model. Discovery of this wound healing domain and description of this functional role of histatin-5 will support developing therapies. [Display omitted] Histatin peptides are a family of multifunctional endogenous anti-microbial peptides that play important roles in mucosal pathogen defense and epithelial homeostasis. Aakalu and colleagues describe a new functional domain within histatin-5 that is necessary for wound healing properties of this member of the histatin family.