Description
Defensins are cationic peptides with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity that comprise an important arm of the innate immune system. To date, four human beta-defensins have been identified: BD-1, BD-2, BD-3 and BD-4. Beta-defensins are expressed on leukocytes and at epithelial surfaces and are 3-5 kDa peptides consisting of 33-47 amino acid residues. Human BD- 1 is down-regulated in human prostatic and renal carcinomas. Skin of patients having atopic dermatitis and mycosis fungoides (non-lesional and lesional) show lower human BD-1 mRNA expression and higher human BD-2 and BD-3 mRNA expression. The level of expression of human BD-1 mRNA is also lower than that of human BD3 and human BD-2 in reconstructed epidermis. Creative Bioarrays recombinant human beta-Defensin-2 (rHu BD-2) produced in E. coli is a single, non-glycosylated polypeptide chain containing 51 amino acids and having a molecular mass of 5.5 kDa. It has been purified by proprietary chromatographic techniques