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Evolution, expression and effectiveness in a cluster of novel bovine β-defensins

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Abstract

The anti-microbial peptides β-defensins constitute a large family of innate immune effector molecules, conserved across a wide species range. In this paper, we describe a systematic search of the sequenced bovine genome to characterise this extensive gene family in Bos taurus, providing an insight into the pattern of conservation of β-defensin genes between species. We have sequenced a sub-set of these newly discovered bovine β-defensin genes and also report expression data for these genes across a range of tissues. We have synthesised the peptide product of one of these genes, bovine β-defensin 123, and found it to be a potent inhibitor of several pathogenic microbes, particularly Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Department of Agriculture (Food Institutional Research Measure) funding. The bovine tissue pool RNA was kindly donated by Dr. David MacHugh, Animal Genomics Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, UCD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Paul Cormican, Kieran G. Meade, Sarah Cahalane, Fernando Narciandi, Aspinas Chapwanya, Andrew T. Lloyd & Cliona O’Farrelly

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  1. Paul Cormican
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  2. Kieran G. Meade
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  3. Sarah Cahalane
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  4. Fernando Narciandi
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  5. Aspinas Chapwanya
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  6. Andrew T. Lloyd
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  7. Cliona O’Farrelly
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cliona O’Farrelly.

Electronic supplementary material

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Supplementary materials

Peptide sequences for all β-defensins sequences coded for in the Bovine Genome Release 3.1 (TXT 5.03 KB)

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Cormican, P., Meade, K.G., Cahalane, S. et al. Evolution, expression and effectiveness in a cluster of novel bovine β-defensins. Immunogenetics 60, 147–156 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-007-0269-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-007-0269-8

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