The structure of neutrophil defensin genes

• Published in: FEBS letters Vol. 321; no. 2; pp. 267 - 273
• Main Authors: Linzmeier, Rose, Michaelson, David, Liu, Lide, Ganz, Tomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 26.04.1993; Elsevier
• Subjects: alpha-Defensins; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Proteins - genetics; cDNA, complementary DNA; Cloning, Molecular; Defensin; Defensins; Escherichia coli - genetics; Fibroblasts - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene structure; Genes. Genome; Genomic Library; GNCP, guinea pig neutrophil cationic peptide; HD, human defensin; HNP, human neutrophil peptide; Humans; Lung - physiology; MAC, macrophage; Macrophages, Alveolar - physiology; Male; MCP, macrophage cationic peptide; Mice; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; mRNA, messenger RNA; Neutrophil; Neutrophils - physiology; NP, neutrophil peptide; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; PMN, polymorphonuclear leukocyte; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Rabbits; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Spermatozoa - physiology; GNCP, guinea pig neutrophil cationic peptide; mRNA, messenger RNA; cDNA, complementary DNA; MCP, macrophage cationic peptide; Gene structure; HD, human defensin; NP, neutrophil peptide; HNP, human neutrophil peptide; MAC, macrophage; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; Neutrophil; Defensin; PMN, polymorphonuclear leukocyte; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Nucleotide sequence; Bronchoalveolar lavage; Rabbit; Animal origin; Gene organization; Lagomorpha
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/0014-5793(93)80122-B

Defensins are a family of microbicidal peptides abundant in the granules of mammalian neutrophils, in rabbit alveolar macrophages, and in human and murine intestinal Paneth cells. We cloned and sequenced the genes of three neutrophil-specific defensins. Human HNP-1 and HNP-3 are nearly identical and rabbit NP-3a is closely related. The four known neutrophil-specific defensin genes are strikingly similar in the structure and organization of their three exons and two introns, but the three defensin genes expressed in macrophages (MCP-1 and -2) or Paneth cells (HD-5) are organized differently: HD-5 has only two exons, and MCP-1 and -2 have a comparatively short first intron. The diverse genomic organization of defensin genes may contribute to their cell-specific expression.