Not available outside of the UK & Ireland.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Defensins (alpha and beta) are cationic peptides with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity that comprise an important arm of the innate immune system. Recombinant human BD-4 is a 6.0 kDa protein containing 50 amino acid residues.

General description

Chemical structure: peptide

Defensins (alpha and beta) are cationic peptides with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity that comprise an important arm of the innate immune system. The α-defensins are distinguished from the β-defensins by the pairing of their three disulfide bonds. To date, four human b-defensins have been identified; BD-1, BD-2, BD-3 and BD-4. The β-defensin proteins are expressed as the C-terminal portion of precursors and are released by proteolytic cleavage of a signal sequence. b-defensins contain a six-cysteine motif that forms three intra-molecular disulfide bonds. β-defensins are 3-5 kDa peptides ranging in size from 33-47 amino acid residues. BD-4 is expressed in testis, stomach, uterus, neutrophils, thyroid, lung and kidney. In addition to its direct antimicrobial activities, BD-4 is chemoattractant towards human blood monocytes. Recombinant human BD-4 is a 6.0 kDa protein containing 50 amino acid residues.

Physical form

Lyophilized from 10 mM Acetic Acid.

Reconstitution

Centrifuge the vial prior to opening. Reconstitute in 10 mM Acetic Acid to a concentration of 0.1-1.0 mg/ml. Do not vortex. This solution can be stored at 2-8°C for up to 1 week. For extended storage, it is recommended to further dilute in a buffer containing a carrier protein (example 0.1% BSA) and store in working aliquots at -20°C to -80°C.

Sequence

EFELDRICGY GTARCRKKCR SQEYRIGRCP NTYACCLRKW DESLLNRTKP