This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Jia, H. P.
Right arrow Articles by McCray, P. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Jia, H. P.
Right arrow Articles by McCray, P. B., Jr.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, September 1999, p. 4827-4833, Vol. 67, No. 9
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Rat Genes Encoding Homologues of Human beta -Defensins

Hong Peng Jia,1 Jesse N. Mills,1 Fariba Barahmand-Pour,2 Darryl Nishimura,1 Rama K. Mallampali,3 Guoshun Wang,1 Kerry Wiles,1 Brian F. Tack,4 Charles L. Bevins,2 and Paul B. McCray Jr.1,*

Departments of Pediatrics,1 Internal Medicine,3 and Microbiology,4 University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, and Department of Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio2

Received 10 March 1999/Returned for modification 13 April 1999/Accepted 12 May 1999

beta -Defensins are cationic peptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity that may play a role in mucosal defenses of several organs. They have been isolated in several species, and in humans, two beta -defensins have been identified. Here, we report the identification of two genes encoding beta -defensin homologues in the rat. Partial cDNAs were found by searching the expressed-sequence-tag database, and primers were designed to generate full-length mRNA coding sequences. One gene was highly similar to the human beta -defensin-1 (HBD-1) gene and mouse beta -defensin-1 gene at both the nucleic acid and amino acid levels and was termed rat beta -defensin-1 (RBD-1). The other gene, named RBD-2, was homologous to the HBD-2 and bovine tracheal antimicrobial peptide (TAP) genes. The predicted prepropeptides were strongly cationic, were 69 and 63 residues in length for RBD-1 and RBD-2, respectively, and contained the six-cysteine motif characteristic of beta -defensins. The beta -defensin genes mapped closely on rat chromosome 16 and were closely linked to the alpha -defensins genes, suggesting that they are part of a gene cluster, similar to the organization reported for humans. Northern blot analysis showed that both RBD-1 and RBD-2 mRNA transcripts were ~0.5 kb in length; RBD-1 mRNA was abundantly transcribed in the rat kidney, while RBD-2 was prevalent in the lung. Reverse transcription-PCR indicated that RBD-1 and RBD-2 mRNAs were distributed in a variety of other tissues. In the lung, RBD-1 mRNA expression localized to the tracheal epithelium while RBD-2 was expressed in alveolar type II cells. In conclusion, we characterized two novel beta -defensin homologues in the rat. The rat may be a useful model to investigate the function and contribution of beta -defensins to host defense in the lung, kidney, and other tissues.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242. Phone: (319) 356-4866. Fax: (319) 356-7171. E-mail: paul-mccray{at}uiowa.edu.

Infection and Immunity, September 1999, p. 4827-4833, Vol. 67, No. 9
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Vongsa, R. A., Zimmerman, N. P., Dwinell, M. B. (2009). CCR6 Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton Orchestrates Human Beta Defensin-2- and CCL20-mediated Restitution of Colonic Epithelial Cells. J. Biol. Chem. 284: 10034-10045 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Galvan, E. M., Lasaro, M. A. S., Schifferli, D. M. (2008). Capsular Antigen Fraction 1 and Pla Modulate the Susceptibility of Yersinia pestis to Pulmonary Antimicrobial Peptides Such as Cathelicidin. Infect. Immun. 76: 1456-1464 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Jones, A. L., Mertz, R. H., Carl, D. J., Rubens, C. E. (2007). A Streptococcal Penicillin-Binding Protein Is Critical for Resisting Innate Airway Defenses in the Neonatal Lung. J. Immunol. 179: 3196-3202 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Radhakrishnan, Y., Fares, M. A., French, F. S., Hall, S. H. (2007). Comparative genomic analysis of a mammalian {beta}-defensin gene cluster. Physiol. Genomics 30: 213-222 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pierrot, C., Adam, E., Hot, D., Lafitte, S., Capron, M., George, J. D., Khalife, J. (2007). Contribution of T Cells and Neutrophils in Protection of Young Susceptible Rats from Fatal Experimental Malaria. J. Immunol. 178: 1713-1722 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Riccioli, A., Starace, D., Galli, R., Fuso, A., Scarpa, S., Palombi, F., De Cesaris, P., Ziparo, E., Filippini, A. (2006). Sertoli Cells Initiate Testicular Innate Immune Responses through TLR Activation. J. Immunol. 177: 7122-7130 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Patil, A. A., Cai, Y., Sang, Y., Blecha, F., Zhang, G. (2005). Cross-species analysis of the mammalian {beta}-defensin gene family: presence of syntenic gene clusters and preferential expression in the male reproductive tract. Physiol. Genomics 23: 5-17 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Harris, R. H., Wilk, D., Bevins, C. L., Munson, R. S. Jr., Bakaletz, L. O. (2004). Identification and Characterization of a Mucosal Antimicrobial Peptide Expressed by the Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) Airway. J. Biol. Chem. 279: 20250-20256 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • McDermott, A. M., Redfern, R. L., Zhang, B., Pei, Y., Huang, L., Proske, R. J. (2003). Defensin Expression by the Cornea: Multiple Signalling Pathways Mediate IL-1{beta} Stimulation of hBD-2 Expression by Human Corneal Epithelial Cells. IOVS 44: 1859-1865 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kim, K.-J., Malik, A. B. (2003). Protein transport across the lung epithelial barrier. Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 284: L247-L259 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Palladino, M.A., Mallonga, T.A., Mishra, M.S. (2003). Messenger RNA (mRNA) Expression for the Antimicrobial Peptides {beta}-Defensin-1 and {beta}-Defensin-2 in the Male Rat Reproductive Tract: {beta}-Defensin-1 mRNA in Initial Segment and Caput Epididymidis Is Regulated by Androgens and Not Bacterial Lipopolysaccharides. Biol. Reprod. 68: 509-515 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Com, E., Bourgeon, F., Evrard, B., Ganz, T., Colleu, D., Jegou, B., Pineau, C. (2003). Expression of Antimicrobial Defensins in the Male Reproductive Tract of Rats, Mice, and Humans. Biol. Reprod. 68: 95-104 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fales-Williams, A. J., Brogden, K. A., Huffman, E., Gallup, J. M., Ackermann, M. R. (2002). Cellular Distribution of Anionic Antimicrobial Peptide in Normal Lung and during Acute Pulmonary Inflammation. Vet Pathol 39: 706-711 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • BEVINS, C L, MARTIN-PORTER, E, GANZ, T (1999). Defensins and innate host defence of the gastrointestinal tract. Gut 45: 911-915 [Full Text]  
  • Jia, H. P., Wowk, S. A., Schutte, B. C., Lee, S. K., Vivado, A., Tack, B. F., Bevins, C. L., McCray, P. B. Jr. (2000). A Novel Murine beta -Defensin Expressed in Tongue, Esophagus, and Trachea. J. Biol. Chem. 275: 33314-33320 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Yamaguchi, Y., Fukuhara, S., Nagase, T., Tomita, T., Hitomi, S., Kimura, S., Kurihara, H., Ouchi, Y. (2001). A Novel Mouse beta -Defensin, mBD-6, Predominantly Expressed in Skeletal Muscle. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 31510-31514 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»