Mouse beta-defensin 1 is a salt-sensitive antimicrobial peptide present in epithelia of the lung and urogenital tract.

ABSTRACT: One component of host defense at mucosal surfaces appears to be epithelium-derived peptides with antimicrobial activity called defensins. Human beta-defensin 1 (hBD-1) represents the first member of the beta-defensin family isolated from humans and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis. We describe in this report the isolation and characterization of a murine homolog of hBD-1 called mouse beta-defensin 1 (mBD-1). The predicted amino acid sequence shows the hallmark features of other known epithelial beta-defensins, including the ordered array of six cysteine residues. Analysis of a genomic clone of mBD-1 revealed two exons separated by a 15-kb intron. By use of fluorescence in situ hybridization, the mBD-1 gene was localized at the proximal portion of chromosome 8, the

SUBMITTER: Bals R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC108037 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature