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Differential Expression of Rat β‐Defensins
Author(s) -
Froy Oren,
Hananel Amit,
Chapnik Nava,
Madar Zecharia
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1080/15216540500088912
Subject(s) - spleen , biology , gene , complementary dna , innate immune system , kidney , gene expression , lung , microbiology and biotechnology , beta defensin , defensin , immunology , immune system , genetics , medicine
The innate immunity, utilizes a battery of broad‐spectrum antibacterial cationic polypeptides (3 ‐ 5 kDa) named α‐ and β‐defensins. Several β‐defensins have been isolated and shown to play a role in the defense of various tissues. Herein, we report the expression pattern of two rat β‐defensins, rBD‐1 and rBD‐2, in liver, kidney, lung, spleen, and brain using RT‐PCR. To study polymorphism and verify gene identity, all cDNA products were sequenced. rBD‐1 was expressed in the kidney, lung, brain, but not in spleen or liver, whereas rBD‐2 was expressed in the lung, but not in the kidney or spleen. In addition, rBD‐2 was expressed in the brain and liver. No polymorphism was found in the genes encoding rat β‐defensins. These findings demonstrate a different expression pattern for rBD‐2 than what has been reported. We conclude that the rat may be a useful model to investigate the function and contribution of β‐defensins to host defense.IUBMB Life, 57: 41‐43, 2005