title: Molecular cloning and tissue expression of porcine beta-defensin-1.
abstract: Beta-defensins constitute an emerging family of cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides, which are particularly prominent at mucosal epithelial sites in mammals. Here we report the identification of a novel beta-defensin from porcine tissues, porcine beta-defensin-1 (pBD-1). The cDNA sequence of pBD-1 encoded a 64 amino acid prepro-peptide, which contained the beta-defensin consensus sequence of six invariantly spaced cysteine residues. Northern blot analysis showed that pBD-1 was expressed abundantly in tongue epithelia and that the expression was regulated developmentally. Using RT-PCR, pBD-1 mRNA was detected throughout the respiratory and digestive tracts and also in thymus, spleen, lymph node, brain, liver, kidney, urinary bladder, testis, skin, heart, muscle, bone marrow, peripheral blood neutrophils, alveolar macrophages, and umbilical cord. The wide expression of pBD-1 suggests that this endogenous peptide antibiotic may contribute to both mucosal and systemic host defenses in pigs, which may have implications for the use of porcine tissues and organs in xenotransplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506, USA.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ganz
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Blecha
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D023082:Defensins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013552:Swine; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D023082:Defensins; D012333:RNA, Messenger