Review

Histones as mediators of host defense, inflammation and thrombosis

Marloes Hoeksema

Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

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Martin van Eijk

Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

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Henk P Haagsman

Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

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Kevan L Hartshorn

*Author for correspondence:

E-mail Address: khartsho@bu.edu

Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

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Published Online:4 Mar 2016https://doi.org/10.2217/fmb.15.151

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Abstract

Histones are known for their ability to bind to and regulate expression of DNA. However, histones are also present in cytoplasm and extracellular fluids where they serve host defense functions and promote inflammatory responses. Histones are a major component of neutrophil extracellular traps that contribute to bacterial killing but also to inflammatory injury. Histones can act as antimicrobial peptides and directly kill bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses, in vitro and in a variety of animal hosts. In addition, histones can trigger inflammatory responses in some cases acting through Toll-like receptors or inflammasome pathways. Extracellular histones mediate organ injury (lung, liver), sepsis physiology, thrombocytopenia and thrombin generation and some proteins can bind histones and reduce these potentially harmful effects.

Keywords:

Papers of special note have been highlighted as: • of interest; •• of considerable interest

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