DEFB103A explained

Beta-defensin 103 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the DEFB103A gene.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Function

Defensins form a family of microbicidal and cytotoxic peptides made by neutrophils. Members of the defensin family are highly similar in protein sequence. This gene encodes defensin, beta 103B, which has broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and may play an important role in innate epithelial defense.

In dogs, the product of the same genetic locus, β-Defensin 103, also plays a role in pigmentation, being an agonist of the melanocortin 1 receptor.^[4]

Further reading

• Hartley JL, Temple GF, Brasch MA . DNA cloning using in vitro site-specific recombination . Genome Res. . 10 . 11 . 1788–95 . 2001 . 11076863 . 10.1101/gr.143000 . 310948 .
• Tomita T, Nagase T . [Defensins as a mechanism of host defense and innate immunity] . Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. Japanese Journal of Geriatrics . 38 . 4 . 440–3 . 2001 . 11523142 . 10.3143/geriatrics.38.440. free .
• García JR, Jaumann F, Schulz S . Identification of a novel, multifunctional beta-defensin (human beta-defensin 3) with specific antimicrobial activity. Its interaction with plasma membranes of Xenopus oocytes and the induction of macrophage chemoattraction . Cell Tissue Res. . 306 . 2 . 257–64 . 2002 . 11702237 . 10.1007/s004410100433 . 27786343 . etal.
• Biragyn A, Surenhu M, Yang D . Mediators of innate immunity that target immature, but not mature, dendritic cells induce antitumor immunity when genetically fused with nonimmunogenic tumor antigens . J. Immunol. . 167 . 11 . 6644–53 . 2002 . 11714836 . 10.4049/jimmunol.167.11.6644. etal. free .
• Schibli DJ, Hunter HN, Aseyev V . The solution structures of the human beta-defensins lead to a better understanding of the potent bactericidal activity of HBD3 against Staphylococcus aureus . J. Biol. Chem. . 277 . 10 . 8279–89 . 2002 . 11741980 . 10.1074/jbc.M108830200 . etal. free .
• Dunsche A, Açil Y, Dommisch H . The novel human beta-defensin-3 is widely expressed in oral tissues . Eur. J. Oral Sci. . 110 . 2 . 121–4 . 2002 . 12013554 . 10.1034/j.1600-0722.2002.11186.x . etal.
• Paulsen F, Pufe T, Conradi L . Antimicrobial peptides are expressed and produced in healthy and inflamed human synovial membranes . J. Pathol. . 198 . 3 . 369–77 . 2003 . 12375270 . 10.1002/path.1224 . 20348830 . etal.
• Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 99 . 26 . 16899–903 . 2003 . 12477932 . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . 139241 . 2002PNAS...9916899M . etal. free .
• Abiko Y, Nishimura M, Kusano K . Upregulated expression of human beta defensin-1 and -3 mRNA during differentiation of keratinocyte immortalized cell lines, HaCaT and PHK16-0b . J. Dermatol. Sci. . 31 . 3 . 225–8 . 2004 . 12727027 . 10.1016/S0923-1811(03)00007-0 . etal.
• Nishimura M, Abiko Y, Kusano K . Localization of human beta-defensin 3 mRNA in normal oral epithelium, leukoplakia, and lichen planus: an in situ hybridization study . Medical Electron Microscopy . 36 . 2 . 94–7 . 2003 . 12825122 . 10.1007/s00795-002-0206-8 . 1543924 . etal.
• Wu Z, Hoover DM, Yang D . Engineering disulfide bridges to dissect antimicrobial and chemotactic activities of human beta-defensin 3 . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 100 . 15 . 8880–5 . 2003 . 12840147 . 10.1073/pnas.1533186100 . 166407 . 2003PNAS..100.8880W . etal. free .
• King AE, Fleming DC, Critchley HO, Kelly RW . Differential expression of the natural antimicrobials, beta-defensins 3 and 4, in human endometrium . J. Reprod. Immunol. . 59 . 1 . 1–16 . 2004 . 12892899 . 10.1016/S0165-0378(02)00083-9 .
• Chadebech P, Goidin D, Jacquet C . Use of human reconstructed epidermis to analyze the regulation of beta-defensin hBD-1, hBD-2, and hBD-3 expression in response to LPS . Cell Biol. Toxicol. . 19 . 5 . 313–24 . 2004 . 14703118 . 10.1023/B:CBTO.0000004975.36521.c8 . 20166061 . etal.
• Pernet I, Reymermier C, Guezennec A . Calcium triggers beta-defensin (hBD-2 and hBD-3) and chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha (MIP-3alpha/CCL20) expression in monolayers of activated human keratinocytes . Exp. Dermatol. . 12 . 6 . 755–60 . 2004 . 14714554 . 10.1111/j.0906-6705.2003.00086.x . 84942825 . etal.
• Yoshimoto T, Yamaai T, Mizukawa N . Different expression patterns of beta-defensins in human squamous cell carcinomas . Anticancer Res. . 23 . 6C . 4629–33 . 2004 . 14981906 . etal.
• Joly S, Organ CC, Johnson GK . Correlation between beta-defensin expression and induction profiles in gingival keratinocytes . Mol. Immunol. . 42 . 9 . 1073–84 . 2005 . 15829297 . 10.1016/j.molimm.2004.11.001 . etal.
• Varoga D, Pufe T, Harder J . Human beta-defensin 3 mediates tissue remodeling processes in articular cartilage by increasing levels of metalloproteinases and reducing levels of their endogenous inhibitors . Arthritis Rheum. . 52 . 6 . 1736–45 . 2005 . 15934078 . 10.1002/art.21090 . etal. free .
• Niyonsaba F, Ushio H, Nagaoka I . The human beta-defensins (-1, -2, -3, -4) and cathelicidin LL-37 induce IL-18 secretion through p38 and ERK MAPK activation in primary human keratinocytes . J. Immunol. . 175 . 3 . 1776–84 . 2005 . 16034119 . 10.4049/jimmunol.175.3.1776. etal. free .

Notes and References

1. Jia HP, Schutte BC, Schudy A, Linzmeier R, Guthmiller JM, Johnson GK, Tack BF, Mitros JP, Rosenthal A, Ganz T, ((McCray PB Jr)) . Discovery of new human beta-defensins using a genomics-based approach . Gene . 263 . 1–2 . 211–8 . Mar 2001 . 11223260 . 10.1016/S0378-1119(00)00569-2 .
2. Harder J, Bartels J, Christophers E, Schroder JM . Isolation and characterization of human beta -defensin-3, a novel human inducible peptide antibiotic . J Biol Chem . 276 . 8 . 5707–13 . Feb 2001 . 11085990 . 10.1074/jbc.M008557200 . free .
3. Web site: Entrez Gene: DEFB103A defensin, beta 103A.
4. Candille SI, Kaelin CB, Cattanach BM, Yu B, Thompson DA, Nix MA, Kerns JA, Schmutz SM, Millhauser GL, Barsh GS . A -defensin mutation causes black coat color in domestic dogs . Science . 318 . 5855 . 1418–23 . November 2007 . 17947548 . 2906624 . 10.1126/science.1147880 .