α-Defensins are an important class of abundant innate immune effectors that are potently antiviral against a number of nonenveloped viral pathogens; however, a common mechanism to explain their ability to block infection by these unrelated viruses is lacking. We previously found that human defensin 5 (HD5) blocks a critical host-mediated proteolytic processing step required for human papillomav...

Defensins, which are small cationic molecules produced by organisms as part of their innate immune response, share a common structural scaffold that is stabilized by three disulfide bridges. Coprisin is a 43-amino acid defensin-like peptide from Copris tripartitus. Here, we report the intramolecular disulfide connectivity of cysteine-rich coprisin, and show that it is the same as in other insec...

Haemophilus ducreyi resists the cytotoxic effects of human antimicrobial peptides (APs), including α-defensins, β-defensins, and the cathelicidin LL-37. Resistance to LL-37, mediated by the sensitive to antimicrobial peptide (Sap) transporter, is required for H. ducreyi virulence in humans. Cationic APs are attracted to the negatively charged bacterial cell surface. In other gram-negative bacte...

Both α- and β-defensins have anti-human immunodeficiency virus activity. These defensins achieve human immunodeficiency virus inhibition through a variety of mechanisms, including direct binding with virions, binding to and modulation of host cell-surface receptors with disruption of intracellular signaling, and functioning as chemokines or cytokines to augment and alter adaptive immune respons...

Human tuberculosis remains a huge global public health problem with an estimated 1/3rd of the population being infected. Defensins are antibacterial cationic peptides produced by a number of cell types, most notably neutrophil granulocytes and epithelial cells. All three defensin types (α-, β-, and θ-defensins) have antibacterial activities, mainly through bacterial membrane permeabilization. D...

Human α-defensins are potent anti-microbial peptides with the ability to neutralize bacterial and viral targets. Single alanine mutagenesis has been used to identify determinants of anti-bacterial activity and binding to bacterial proteins such as anthrax lethal factor. Similar analyses of α-defensin interactions with non-enveloped viruses are limited. We used a comprehensive set of human α-def...

WE WRITE TO RETRACT AN INTERPRETATION IN our Report, “Contribution of human αdefensin 1, 2, and 3 to the anti–HIV-1 activity of CD8 antiviral factor” (1), wherein we demonstrated that human α-defensin 1, 2, and 3 account for much of the anti–HIV-1 activity of the CD8 antiviral factor (CAF) that is not attributable to β-chemokines. Although the antiviral activity of human αdefensin has not been ...

Defensins are antimicrobial peptides important for mucosal innate immunity. They exhibit a broad spectrum of activity against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Levels of α-defensins are elevated at the genital mucosa of individuals with sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Somewhat paradoxically, human α-defensin 5 and 6 (HD5 and HD6) promote human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infectivity, and c...

Defensin genes encode small cationic antimicrobial peptides that form an important part of the innate immune system. They are divided into three families, alpha (α), beta (β), and theta (), according to arrangement of the disulfide bonding pattern between cysteine residues. Considering the functional importance of defensins, investigators have studied the evolution and the genomic organization ...