title: Defensins in viral infections.
abstract: Defensins are antimicrobial peptides important to innate host defense. In addition to their direct antimicrobial effect, defensins modulate immune responses. Increasing evidence indicates that defensins exhibit complex functions by positively or negatively modulating infections of both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. The effects of defensins on viral infections appear to be specific to the defensin, virus and target cell. Regulation of viral infection by defensins is achieved by multiple mechanisms. This review focuses on the interplay between defensins and viral infections, the mechanisms of action of defensins and the in vivo studies of the role of defensins in viral infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY 10029, USA.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Yi-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Theresa L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023082:Defensins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D051379:Mice; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D014780:Viruses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D023082:Defensins