title: Genome-level identification, gene expression, and comparative analysis of porcine ß-defensin genes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Beta-defensins (β-defensins) are innate immune peptides with evolutionary conservation across a wide range of species and has been suggested to play important roles in innate immune reactions against pathogens. However, the complete β-defensin repertoire in the pig has not been fully addressed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A BLAST analysis was performed against the available pig genomic sequence in the NCBI database to identify β-defensin-related sequences using previously reported β-defensin sequences of pigs, humans, and cattle. The porcine β-defensin gene clusters were mapped to chromosomes 7, 14, 15 and 17. The gene expression analysis of 17 newly annotated porcine β-defensin genes across 15 tissues using semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed differences in their tissue distribution, with the kidney and testis having the largest pBD expression repertoire. We also analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the mature peptide region of pBD genes from 35 pigs of 7 breeds. We found 8 cSNPs in 7 pBDs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We identified 29 porcine β-defensin (pBD) gene-like sequences, including 17 unreported pBDs in the porcine genome. Comparative analysis of β-defensin genes in the pig genome with those in human and cattle genomes showed structural conservation of β-defensin syntenic regions among these species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Hwayang-dong,, Kwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-701, South Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Kyeung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Minh Thong
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Le
authors.forename: Dinh Truong
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Hojun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Won
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin-Hoi
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jungwan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Jiyeon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hyeon
authors.forename: Kunho
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Chankyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D005091:Exons; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013552:Swine / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D023083:beta-Defensins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D023083:beta-Defensins