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Infection and Immunity, May 2005, p. 2611-2620, Vol. 73, No. 5
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.5.2611-2620.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Three ß-Defensins from Canine Testes

Yongming Sang,1 M. Teresa Ortega,2 Frank Blecha,1 Om Prakash,3 and Tonatiuh Melgarejo2*

Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine,1 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry,3 Department of Human Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 665062

Received 4 October 2004/ Returned for modification 12 November 2004/ Accepted 9 December 2004

Mammalian ß-defensins are small cationic peptides possessing broad antimicrobial and physiological activities. Because dogs are particularly resilient to sexually transmitted diseases, it has been proposed that their antimicrobial peptide repertoire might provide insight into novel antimicrobial therapeutics and treatment regimens. To investigate this proposal, we cloned the full-length cDNA of three canine ß-defensin isoforms (cBD-1, -2, and -3) from canine testicular tissues. Their predicted peptides share identical N-terminal 65-amino-acid residues, including the ß-defensin consensus six-cysteine motif. The two longer isoforms, cBD-2 and -3, possess 4 and 34 additional amino acids, respectively, at the C terminus. To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of cBD, a 34-amino-acid peptide derived from the shared mature peptide region was synthesized. Canine ß-defensin displayed broad antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus; MICs of 6 and 100 µg/ml, respectively), gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae; MICs of 20 to 50, 20, and 50 µg/ml, respectively), and yeast (Candida albicans; MIC of 5 to 50 µg/ml) and lower activity against Ureaplasma urealyticum and U. canigenitalium (MIC of 200 µg/ml). Antimicrobial potency was significantly reduced at salt concentrations higher than 140 mM. All three canine ß-defensins were highly expressed in testis. In situ hybridization indicated that cBD-1 was expressed primarily in Sertoli cells within the seminiferous tubules. In contrast, cBD-2 was located primarily within Leydig cells. The longest isoform, cBD-3, was detected in Sertoli cells and to a lesser extent in the interstitium. The tissue-specific expression and broad antimicrobial activity suggest that canine ß-defensins play an important role in host defense and other physiological functions of the male reproductive system.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Human Nutrition, 143B Justin Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-1407. Phone: (785) 532-2730. Fax: (785) 532-2731. E-mail: tmelgare{at}humec.ksu.edu.

Editor: J. D. Clements

Infection and Immunity, May 2005, p. 2611-2620, Vol. 73, No. 5
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.5.2611-2620.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Nagaosa, K., Nakashima, C., Kishimoto, A., Nakanishi, Y. (2009). Immune response to bacteria in seminiferous epithelium. Reproduction 137: 879-888 [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]  
  • Sang, Y., Ramanathan, B., Ross, C. R., Blecha, F. (2005). Gene Silencing and Overexpression of Porcine Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein Long Isoforms: Involvement in {beta}-Defensin-1 Expression. Infect. Immun. 73: 7133-7141 [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]  


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