| vipericidins: a novel family of cathelicidin-related peptides from the venom gland of south american pit vipers. | cathelicidins are phylogenetically ancient, pleiotropic host defense peptides-also called antimicrobial peptides (amps)-expressed in numerous life forms for innate immunity. since even the jawless hagfish expresses cathelicidins, these genetically encoded host defense peptides are at least 400 million years old. more recently, cathelicidins with varying antipathogenic activities and cytotoxicities were discovered in the venoms of poisonous snakes; for these creatures, cathelicidins may also serv ... | 2014 | 25100358 |