Dr. Tonatiuh Melgarejo

   Dr. Tonatiuh Melgarejo
  Assistant Professor
  Department of Human Nutrition
  143B Justin Hall
  Phone: (785) 532-2730
  e-mail: tmelgare@k-state.edu

Characterization of Canine Urogenital Beta-Defensins, A Novel Family of Epithelium-derived Antimicrobial Peptides:
Our project goals are to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate the synthesis and production of beta-defensins in urogenital epithelial cells. Better understanding of these epithelium–derived antibacterial peptides will demonstrate their potential biological role in fighting urinary tract infections (UTI) in dogs. Given the remarkable clinical and pathological similarities between affected humans and dogs with UTI, we expect that knowledge gained from this project will be used as a direct approach for utilizing the dog as a suitable animal model to study beta-defensins as a major component of the innate immunity in the host defense against urogenital pathogens.