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Assays for the detection of human defensin polypeptide (Def-X) - Patent 6960441 In particular, the increase in the transcription of the defensin genes and the release of cytoplasmic granules containing presynthesized defensins in response to stimuli, contributes to the local antimicrobial response, it being possible for the defensins to participate in the inflammatory reaction, in the repair processes and in endocrine regulation during infection. A defensin concentration corresponding to 10% of the normal level is observed in patients suffering from "specific granule deficiency", a rare disease of the development of the granulocytes. The proteolytic maturation of the human neutrophil defensins to mature peptides is coupled with their despatch to the granulocytes; the function of the propeptide would include the inactivation of the precursor form of defensin and a support for the acquisition of the active conformation of the mature peptide (Martin et al., 1995). www.freepatentsonline.com /6960441.html   (8334 words)

Anthrax Toxins (Protective Antigen, Lethal Factor, Edema Factor) Spore Antigens, and Toxin Receptors (ATR1-3) Antibodies Defensins are a large family of broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides, identified originally in leukocytes of rabbits and humans. Defensins, expressed at the cell surface, have been hypothesized to function as a biochemical barrier against microbial infection by inhibiting colonization of the epithelium by wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. Defensins are classified into two families designated alpha and beta based on distinctive, although similar, tri-disulfide linkages in the peptides. www.4adi.com /flr/defensinflr.html   (629 words)

[No title]   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22) Defensins are naturally occurring peptides that are considered to be among the earliest developed molecular effectors of innate immunity. Defensins are short peptide molecules with a primary chain length of 29 to 35 amino acids and molecular weight of 3. A defensin according to claim 1, characterised in that the defensin is for use as therapeutic agent in the treatment of ocular surface and/or intraocular infection. www.wipo.int /cgi-pct/guest/getbykey5?KEY=00/07612.000217&ELEMENT_SET=DECL   (4977 words)

BioMed Central | Full text | A genome-wide screen identifies a single beta-defensin gene cluster in the chicken: ... Defensins comprise a large family of cationic antimicrobial peptides that are characterized by the presence of a conserved cysteine-rich defensin motif. Defensins constitute a large family of small, cysteine-rich, cationic peptides that are capable of killing a broad spectrum of pathogens, including various bacteria, fungi, and certain enveloped viruses [1-5]. Because mammalian defensins tend to form clusters [12,14,15,18], all chicken genomic sequences containing defensin sequences were also retrieved from the GenBank and translated into six open reading frames and curated manually for the presence of the defensin motif in order to discover potential sequences with distant homology. www.biomedcentral.com /1471-2164/5/56   (4631 words)

ScienceDaily: Defensins Neutralize Anthrax Toxin Whilst defensins are well known to kill bacteria, toxin neutralization represents a novel function of defensins. Defensins are capable of perforating the bacterial cell wall thus killing bacterial pathogens. Accordingly, their antibiotic potential is currently exploited although it is not clear when new chemotherapeutic agents on the basis of defensins will be available. www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2005/03/050329133006.htm   (524 words)

Human Enteric Defensins -- Mallow et al. 271 (8): 4038 -- Journal of Biological Chemistry Low levels of enteric defensin expression in the fetus may be characteristic of an immaturity of local defense, which is thought to predispose infants born prematurely to infection from intestinal microorganisms. Defensins are a large family of antimicrobial peptides, identified originally in leukocytes of rabbits and humans (for reviews see (23)). This is consistent with the notion that the human enteric defensins, similar to the hematopoietic defensins, have constitutive levels of expression and are part of a developmental program of the highly differentiated cells in which they are expressed(52). www.jbc.org /cgi/content/full/271/8/4038   (7022 words)

Pfam 19.0 : Defensin_beta   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22) The beta defensins are antimicrobial peptides implicated in the resistance of epithelial surfaces to microbial colonisation [1]. Defensins are 2-6 kDa, cationic, microbicidal peptides active against many Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, fungi, and enveloped viruses PUBMED:8528769, containing three pairs of intramolecular disulphide bonds. The polar topology of defensins, with spatially separated charged and hydrophobic regions, allows them toinsert themselves into the phospholipid membranes so that their hydrophobic regions are buried within the lipid membrane interior and their charged (mostly cationic)regions interact with anionic phospholipid head groups and water. pfam.wustl.edu /cgi-bin/getdesc?name=Defensin_beta   (331 words)

Jacek Lubkowski, Ph.D. - Research Summary Our laboratory is investigating the structural basis of intercellular signaling via chemotaxis and the role of chemokines in the process of viral infection, as well as correlating the structures of defensins with their antimicrobial and chemotactic properties. Defensins are small basic proteins that, until recently, were mainly known for their potent antimicrobial properties. One of our primary goals in studying defensins is to establish the molecular basis of their chemotactic properties, which greatly complements our interest in chemokines. mcl1.ncifcrf.gov /lubkowski_research.html   (622 words)

Direct and indirect bacterial killing functions of neutrophil defensins in lung explants -- Porro et al. 281 (5): 1240 ... Defensins are implicated in a variety of lung inflammatory diseases (1, 13, 19, 24, 25, 28), although their precise Defensins [human neutrophil peptides (HNP-1, -2, and -3); lane b] were isolated from an acid sputum extract (lane a) by gel filtration on a Bio-Gel P-10 chromatograph column. Levels of antimicrobial molecules defensin and lactoferrin are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with meningitis. ajplung.physiology.org /cgi/content/full/281/5/L1240   (5000 words)

Researchers Discover How Compounds Prevent Viruses From Entering Cells Defensins are produced by cells that are among the first to come in contact with viruses, Dr. Chernomordik explained. Defensins, the researchers discovered, bind crosswise to glycoproteins, preventing the viral and cell glycoproteins from spreading apart. For example, by learning more about how defensins bind to glycoproteins, researchers one day may be able to devise new drugs that prevent viruses from entering cells. www.nichd.nih.gov /news/releases/compounds_defensins.cfm   (727 words)

Neutrophil defensins mediate acute inflammatory response and lung dysfunction in dose-related fashion -- Zhang et al. ... Defensins were used as a mixture of HNP-1, -2, and -3 that were isolated from sputum of patients with cystic fibrosis. of defensins in the airways and the lungs. Levels of antimictobial molecules defensin and lactoferrin are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with meningitis. ajplung.physiology.org /cgi/content/full/280/5/L947   (5117 words)

vgn-ext-hidden_PubMed   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22) Defensins are small cationic peptides with broad in vitro antimicrobial activity and are potential ocular therapeutic agents. The authors characterised the in vitro activity of defensins NP-1 and NP-3a against P aeruginosa in the presence of human tears. In 20% tears, NP-3a demonstrated 2 log units of killing at 2 hours; however, the antimicrobial activity of this defensin was completely inhibited in the presence of 70% tears. www.plwc.org /portal/site/ASCO/menuitem.a3fb42726842a82627c4c291ee37a01d/?vgnextoid=d70b3608f9958010VgnVCM100000f2730ad1RCRD&index=n&pmid=16622092   (303 words)

The structure of defensins   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22) A major family of antimicrobial peptides found in mammals are the defensins - cationic peptides of 28-42 amino acids length containing three intramolecular disulfide bonds. This study is aimed to investigate the structural degree of similarity among those defensins and to correlate structure and antimicrobial activity. The structural characterization of murine defensins should provide the basis for a further understanding of the role of these peptides in host defense through animal model studies. btcpxx.che.uni-bayreuth.de /RESEARCH/defensins.html   (440 words)

Cell Sciences Products Human neutrophil defensins (alpha-defensins) belong to the family of cationic trisulfide-containing microbicidal peptides. The three principal human defensins, HNP 1-3, are unique to neutrophils and account for about 99 of the total defensin content of these cells. Defensins are relatively resistant to proteolysis, low pH and boiling, but have a tendency to bind to a variety of materials, including plastic and proteins. www.cellsciences.com /content/p-detail.asp?rowid=7340   (712 words)

Permeabilization of Fungal Membranes by Plant Defensins Inhibits Fungal Growth -- Thevissen et al. 65 (12): 5451 -- ... the expression of defensin genes is induced in response to fungal Plant defensins induce ion fluxes across the plasma membranes of living fungal hyphae (28). The specificity of plant defensins is dependent on the ionic strength of the growth medium (19, 26, 27). aem.asm.org /cgi/content/full/65/12/5451   (3875 words)

Anti-HIV Factor Discovered Through various tests, they found that these chemicals were produced by stimulated CD8 cells of three of the long-term non-progressors they are studying (they picked their three best non-progressors among their patients, in order to have the best chance of identifying how their cells are able to keep HIV in check). The defensins are believed to block all HIV, and to act through a completely different mechanism -- possible involving viral transcription, instead of viral entry into the cell. The defensins would be very difficult to use as drugs, if they could be used at all. www.aids.org /atn/a-384-05.html   (513 words)

New DEFENSINS AND RELATED ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES available from Peptides International Defensin peptides are effective against a wide spectrum of microbes including bacteria, viruses, fungi, spirochetes and mycobacteria. This peptide is found in the epithelia of the urogenital tract, lung and trachea and could be a valuable tool, along with the other defensins, for probing self-defense mechanisms. defensin peptides, hBD3 and hBD4, as well as the Liver-Expressed Antimicrobial Peptides 1 and 2, were also made available to the antimicrobial research community as high purity, synthetic research tools. www.pepnet.com /defensins.html   (693 words)

Info en la salud, aptitud, dieta, cultivando un huerto, vino, hipoteca, préstamos, recorrido Defensins es peptides, las moléculas miniatura de la proteína que son producidas por una amplia gama de animales para protegerse contra la infección. Los seres humanos tienen defensins en sus células de sangre blancas y en su piel, por ejemplo, solamente se cree que este defensin fungicida nuevo, plectasin, es más potente y apunta ciertas bacterias más específicamente. En seres humanos, los defensins son hechos por las células de sangre blancas específicas y las células inmunes que engullen más adelante a invasores extranjeros, y por la piel y las membranas mucosas, para matar a microbios antes de que invadan barreras protectoras. www.iconocast.com /News_Files/ZZSPNL0/News2.htm   (1130 words)

[No title] Defensins are 2-6 kDa, cationic, microbicidal peptides active against many Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, fungi, and enveloped viruses [1], containing three pairs of intramolecular disulphide bonds. On the basis of their size and pattern of disulphide bonding, mammalian defensins are classified into alpha, beta and theta categories. The polar topology of defensins, with spatially separated charged and hydrophobic regions, allows them to insert themselves into the phospholipid membranes so that their hydrophobic regions are buried within the lipid membrane interior and their charged (mostly cationic) regions interact with anionic phospholipid head groups and water. www.ebi.ac.uk /interpro/DisplayIproEntry?ac=IPR001855   (524 words)

Expression of Antimicrobial Defensins in the Male Reproductive Tract of Rats, Mice, and Humans -- Com et al. 68 (1): 95 ... Expression of Antimicrobial Defensins in the Male Reproductive Tract of Rats, Mice, and Humans -- Com et al. Amplifications of defensin transcripts RNP1-2, RNP-3, RNP-4, RBD-1, and RBD-2 were performed with total RNA from testicular macrophages (M), Leydig cells (L), peritubular cells (P), Sertoli cells (S), spermatogonia (SPG), pachytene spermatocytes (SPC), early spermatids (SPT), and cytoplasmic lobes (CL). A novel mouse beta defensin, Defb2, which is upregulated in the airways by lipopolysaccharide. www.biolreprod.org /cgi/content/full/68/1/95   (6491 words)

Mouse Paneth cell defensins: primary structures and antibacterial activities of numerous cryptdin isoforms. -- ... Mouse Paneth cell defensins: primary structures and antibacterial activities of numerous cryptdin isoforms. Defensin pattern in chronic gastritis: HBD-2 is differentially expressed with respect to Helicobacter pylori status. Human defensin 5 is stored in precursor form in normal Paneth cells and is expressed by some villous epithelial cells and by metaplastic Paneth cells in the colon in inflammatory bowel disease. iai.asm.org /cgi/content/abstract/62/11/5040   (1302 words)

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research Treatment Insider He urged researchers "to think about the presence of endogenous microbicides," — defensins and other components of the innate immune system that may help keep these ratios low — and how they might be strengthened. Rhesus monkeys produce circular antimicrobial peptides called defensins, but defensins in humans turn out to be problematic. Human bone marrow expresses a pseudogene that is 88.9% identical to a rhesus defensin. www.amfar.org /cgi-bin/iowa/td/feature/record.html?record=68&page=3   (679 words)

Defensins act as potent adjuvants that promote cellular and humoral immune responses in mice to a lymphoma idiotype and ...   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22) Defensins act as potent adjuvants that promote cellular and humoral immune responses in mice to a lymphoma idiotype and carrier antigens -- Tani et al. Defensins were purified to homogeneity from granules of Neutrophil defensins augment the antibody response to lymphoma-derived Ig idiotype. intimm.oxfordjournals.org /cgi/content/full/12/5/691   (5406 words)

Roles of antimicrobial peptides such as defensins in innate and adaptive immunity -- Oppenheim et al. 62 (Supplement ... ß defensins (MBDs) are chemotactic for subsets of defensin molecule is able to activate adaptive immune responses. Defensins act as potent adjuvants that promote cellular and humoral immune responses in mice to a lymphoma idiotype and carrier antigens. ard.bmj.com /cgi/content/full/62/suppl_2/ii17   (2993 words)

Antibacterial Activity of Human Neutrophil Defensins in Experimental Infections in Mice Is Accompanied by Increased ... Antibacterial Activity of Human Neutrophil Defensins in Experimental Infections in Mice Is Accompanied by Increased Leukocyte Accumulation Human neutrophil defensin HNP-1 was purified from human neutrophils as described (7). Ganz (1993) Plasma defensin concentrations are elevated in patients with septicemia or bacterial meningitis. www.jci.org /cgi/content/full/102/8/1583   (4625 words)

Defensins and innate host defence of the gastrointestinal tract -- BEVINS et al. 45 (6): 911 -- Gut In mammals, defensins are one of the major families of antimicrobial peptides. Defensin granule concentrations are probably in excess of 10 mg/ml Defensin stimulates the binding of lipoprotein (a) to human vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells. gut.bmjjournals.com /cgi/content/full/45/6/911   (4171 words)

Elevated concentrations of defensins in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in diffuse panbronchiolitis -- Ashitani et al. 11 ... Defensins (human neutrophil peptide-1, -2 and -3) were measured by radioimmunoassay in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 30 patients with DPB, 16 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and 15 healthy adults. The concentration of defensins was higher in BALF of patients with DPB than in patients with IPF and healthy subjects. Immunohistochemistry of open-lung biopsy specimens from four DPB patients showed localization of defensins in neutrophils and mucinous exudate in the airways, and on the surface of bronchiolar epithelial cells. erj.ersjournals.com /cgi/content/abstract/11/1/104   (835 words)

Newswise Andre Ouellette, professor of pathology, and his team found that cells called Paneth cells emit small antibiotic proteins called defensins that kill bacteria within minutes of sensing that the bacteria are there. The UCI team and their colleagues found that when they added bacteria to the crypts, the Paneth cells reacted by secreting the antibiotic defensins, which were effective at killing bacteria. Only bacteria elicited a response from the Paneth cells in these experiments, even though the defensins emitted by Paneth cells previously have been shown to be effective against fungi and protozoa. www.newswise.com /articles/view/?id=PANETH.UCI   (649 words)

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