Defensin, alpha 5 (DEFA5) also known as human alpha defensin 5 (HD5) is a human protein that is encoded by the DEFA5gene.[1][2]DEFA5 is expressed in the Paneth cells of the ileum.[3]
Defensins are a family of microbicidal and cytotoxic peptides thought to be involved in host defense. They are abundant in the granules of neutrophils and also found in the epithelia of mucosal surfaces such as those of the intestine, respiratory tract, urinary tract, and vagina. Members of the defensin family are highly similar in protein sequence and distinguished by a conserved cysteine motif. Several of the human alpha defensin genes appear to be clustered on chromosome 8. The protein encoded by this gene, defensin, alpha 5, is highly expressed in the secretory granules of Paneth cells of the ileum.[1]
↑Jones DE, Bevins CL (January 1993). "Defensin-6 mRNA in human Paneth cells: implications for antimicrobial peptides in host defense of the human bowel". FEBS Lett. 315 (2): 187–92. doi:10.1016/0014-5793(93)81160-2. PMID8417977.
↑Zhao C, Wang I, Lehrer RI (24 Nov 1996). "Widespread expression of beta-defensin hBD-1 in human secretory glands and epithelial cells". FEBS Lett. 396 (2–3): 319–22. doi:10.1016/0014-5793(96)01123-4. PMID8915011.
Further reading
Mallow EB, Harris A, Salzman N, et al. (1996). "Human enteric defensins. Gene structure and developmental expression". J. Biol. Chem. 271 (8): 4038–45. doi:10.1074/jbc.271.8.4038. PMID8626737.
Bevins CL, Jones DE, Dutra A, et al. (1996). "Human enteric defensin genes: chromosomal map position and a model for possible evolutionary relationships". Genomics. 31 (1): 95–106. doi:10.1006/geno.1996.0014. PMID8808285.
Ghosh D, Porter E, Shen B, et al. (2002). "Paneth cell trypsin is the processing enzyme for human defensin-5". Nat. Immunol. 3 (6): 583–90. doi:10.1038/ni797. PMID12021776.
Salzman NH, Ghosh D, Huttner KM, et al. (2003). "Protection against enteric salmonellosis in transgenic mice expressing a human intestinal defensin". Nature. 422 (6931): 522–6. doi:10.1038/nature01520. PMID12660734.