Human skin is surprisingly resistant to colonization by Escherichia coli, a prevalent commensal bacterium of the gut flora. An 11-kDa Zn2+-binding protein, psoriasin, is identified as the principal E. coli–bactericidal factor present at the surface of human skin.
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Bevins, C. An important clue: fingerprints point to psoriasin in defense against E. coli. Nat Immunol 6, 12–13 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni0105-12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ni0105-12
