Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 May 12;90(11):5216-5218.
doi: 10.1128/JVI.00904-15. Print 2016 Jun 1.

Defensins at the Mucosal Surface: Latest Insights into Defensin-Virus Interactions

Affiliations
Review

Defensins at the Mucosal Surface: Latest Insights into Defensin-Virus Interactions

Sarah S Wilson et al. J Virol. .

Abstract

Defensins are innate immune effector peptides expressed at mucosal surfaces throughout the human body and are potently antiviral in vitro The role of defensins in viral pathogenesis in vivo is poorly understood; however, recent studies have revealed that defensin-virus interactions in vivo are complicated and distinct from their proposed antiviral mechanisms in vitro These findings highlight the need for additional research that connects defensin neutralization of viruses in cell culture to in vivo antiviral mechanisms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
Newly revealed roles for human defensins in viral infection and transmission. HPV16, human papillomavirus 16; HD5, human defensin 5; HIV-1, human immunodeficiency virus type 1; HNP1–3, human neutrophil peptides 1 through 3; CVL, cervical vaginal lavage fluid; HBD2, human β-defensin 2; MAdV-1, mouse adenovirus 1.

References

    1. Lehrer RI, Lu W. 2012. α-Defensins in human innate immunity. Immunol Rev 245:84–112. doi:10.1111/j.1600-065X.2011.01082.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wilson SS, Wiens ME, Smith JG. 2013. Antiviral mechanisms of human defensins. J Mol Biol 425:4965–4980. doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2013.09.038. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Buck CB, Day PM, Thompson CD, Lubkowski J, Lu W, Lowy DR, Schiller JT. 2006. Human alpha-defensins block papillomavirus infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103:1516–1521. doi:10.1073/pnas.0508033103. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zins SR, Nelson CD, Maginnis MS, Banerjee R, O'Hara BA, Atwood WJ. 2014. The human alpha defensin HD5 neutralizes JC polyomavirus infection by reducing ER traffic and stabilizing the viral capsid. J Virol 88:948–960. doi:10.1128/JVI.02766-13. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dugan AS, Maginnis MS, Jordan JA, Gasparovic ML, Manley K, Page R, Williams G, Porter E, O'Hara BA, Atwood WJ. 2008. Human alpha-defensins inhibit BK virus infection by aggregating virions and blocking binding to host cells. J Biol Chem 283:31125–31132. doi:10.1074/jbc.M805902200. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources