defb-4

Defensins are cationic peptides. It is an important ingredient of the innate immune system. β-defensins are expressed on some leukocytes and epithelial surfaces. Four human β-Defensins have been identified to date: BD-1, BD-2, BD-3 and BD-4. β-defensins contain a six-cysteine motif, they forms three intra-molecular disulfide bonds. β-defensins are also chemoattractant towards immature dendritic cells and memory T cells. The β-defensin proteins are expressed as the C-terminal portion of precursors; they are released by proteolytic cleavage of a signal sequence.

β-Defensin 4A is a membrane-active cationic peptide that functions in inflammation and innate immune responses. There are at least 30 β-Defensins, which are distinguished from α-Defensins by the connectivity pattern of their three intermolecular disulfide bonds. Members of the Defensin family are highly similar in protein sequence. This gene encodes Defensin, DEFB4;, which has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and may play an important role in innate epithelial defense. They are highly expressed in skin and tonsils, and to a lesser extent in trachea, uterus, kidney, thymus, adenoid, pharynx and tongue. β-Defensin 4A has low expression in salivary gland, bone marrow, colon, stomach, polyp and larynx. No expression in small intestine. The 45 amino acid mature human BD3 shares 38% and 33% amino acid sequence identity with mouse and rat BD3, respectively.