DEFB4 polyclonal antibody

β-defensins (also designated BD, and hBD in human) are small cationic peptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Produced in mucosal epithelia and neutrophils of several species, β-defensins are developmentally regulated. Unlike the other previously described human β-defensins, human β-defensin 4 (hBD-4) expression is restricted to a few tissues, with highest expression in testis. A restricted pattern is also exhibited by mouse β-defensin 4. Rat β-defensin 4 (also desiganated BD-4, RBD-4, BD-2, and RBD-2) is developmentally regulated in the lung and is predominantly expressed in the lung and, to a lesser extent, in the trachea and tongue. It exhibits a regulation pattern similar to that of specific genes involved in host defense around the time of birth. The selectivity in both expression pattern and antimicrobial activity of human β-defensin 4 suggests that it is best suited to act at the epithelial locations where it is expressed.