Duplication and selection in the evolution of primate beta-defensin genes

Autor: Colin Semple, Rolfe, M., Dorin, Jr
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2003
Předmět:
Zdroj: Semple, C A M, Rolfe, M & Dorin, J R 2003, ' Duplication and selection in the evolution of primate beta-defensin genes ' Genome Biology, vol. 4, no. 5, pp. R31 . DOI: 10.1186/gb-2003-4-5-r31
ResearcherID
DOI: 10.1186/gb-2003-4-5-r31
Popis: Innate immunity is the first line of defense against microorganisms in vertebrates and acts by providing an initial barrier to microorganisms and triggering adaptive immune responses. Peptides such as beta-defensins are an important component of this defense, providing a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, mycobacteria and several enveloped viruses. Beta-defensins are small cationic peptides that vary in their expression patterns and spectrum of pathogen specificity. Disruptions in beta-defensin function have been implicated in human diseases, including cystic fibrosis, and a fuller understanding of the variety, function and evolution of human beta-defensins might form the basis for novel therapies. Here we use a combination of laboratory and computational techniques to characterize the main human beta-defensin locus on chromosome 8p22-p23.
Databáze: OpenAIRE