Abstract.
Defensin are 3–4 kDa antimicrobial peptides of which three distinct families have been identified; α-defensin, β-defensins, and insect defensins. Recent investigations have shown that β-defensins are present in the human airways and may be relevant to the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. We report here the further characterization of a recently identified mouse β-defensin gene, Defb1, sometimes referred to as mBD-1, which is homologous to the human airway beta defensin hBD-1. We report that Defb1 is expressed in a variety of tissues including the airways and, similar to hBD-1, is not upregulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Defb1 was found to consist of two small exons separated by a 16-kb intron and cytogenetic, and physical mapping linked it to the alpha defensin gene cluster on mouse Chromosome (Chr) 8. Functional studies demonstrate that, like hBD-1, Defb1 demonstrates a salt-sensitive antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Of relevance to CF lung disease is the fact that neither the hBD-1 nor the mBD-1 peptides are active against Burkholderia cepacia.
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Received: 3 December 1997 / Accepted: 17 February 1998
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Morrison, G., Davidson, D., Kilanowski, F. et al. Mouse beta defensin-1 is a functional homolog of human beta defensin-1. 9, 453–457 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s003359900795
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s003359900795