Discovery of multiple beta-defensin like homologues in teleost fish.

摘要: Using a database mining approach, multiple defensin like genes have been discovered for the first time in fish, species including zebrafish Danio rerio and pufferfish, Takifugu rubripes Tetraodon nigroviridis. They share common features of vertebrate defensins, small size, net cationic charge, six conserved cysteines mature region. Based on their cysteine arrangement, identified fish peptides resemble beta-defensin family members birds mammals. Computing modelling detected three beta-strands all defensins an extra N-terminal alpha-helix one peptides. The coding regions contain exons two introns, same as avian genes. In tetraodon, are located chromosome. An additional locus containing third gene has also found different chromosome zebrafish, demonstrating that loci may be present fish. Comparative studies suggest β-defensins represent primitive form family, which expanded during evolution by or genome duplication. healthy constitutive expression was RT-PCR gill, gonad, gut, kidney, muscle, skin spleen but levels patterns varied individual