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Volume 9, Issue 4 (July 2007) 9, 453–462; 10.1111/j.1745-7262.2007.00298.x
Characterization and functions of beta defensins in the epididymis
Susan H Hall, Suresh Yenugu, Yashwanth Radhakrishnan, Maria Christina W Avellar, Peter Petrusz and Frank S French
1.Laboratories for Reproductive Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7505, USA
2.Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pondicherry Central University, Pondicherry 605014, India
3.Section of Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, SP 04044-020, Brazil
Correspondence: Dr Susan H. Hall, Laboratories for Reproductive Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA. Fax: +1-919-966-2203. E-mail: shh@med.unc.edu
| Abstract |
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The epididymal -defensins have evolved by repeated gene duplication and divergence to encode a family of proteins that provide direct protection against pathogens and also support the male reproductive tract in its primary function. Male tract defensins also facilitate recovery from pathogen attack. The -defensins possess ancient conserved sequence and structural features widespread in multi-cellular organisms, suggesting fundamental roles in species survival. Primate SPAG11, the functional fusion of two ancestrally independent -defensin genes, produces a large family of alternatively spliced transcripts that are expressed according to tissue-specific and species-specific constraints. The complexity of SPAG11 varies in different branches of mammalian evolution. Interactions of human SPAG11D with host proteins indicate involvement in multiple signaling pathways.
Keywords: defensin, antibacterial, male fertility
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