Beta-defensin 3

Human β-defensin-3 (hBD-3) exhibits antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities; however, its contribution to autophagy regulation remains unclear, and the role of autophagy in the regulation of the epidermal barrier in atopic dermatitis (AD) is poorly understood. Here, keratinocyte autophagy was restrained in the skin lesions of patients with AD and murine models of AD. Interestingly, hBD-3 alleviated the IL-4- and IL-13-mediated impairment of the tight junction (TJ) barrier through keratinocyte autophagy activation, which involved aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling. While autophagy deficiency impaired the epidermal barrier and exacerbated inflammation, hBD-3 attenuated skin inflammation and enhanced the TJ barrier in AD. Importantly, hBD-3-mediated improvement of the TJ barrier was abolished in autophagy-deficient AD mice and in AhR-suppressed AD mice, suggesting a role for hBD-3-mediated autophagy in the regulation of the epidermal barrier and inflammation in AD. Thus, autophagy contributes to the pathogenesis of AD, and hBD-3 could be used for therapeutic purposes.

A group of interesting molecules called defensins exhibit multiple functions but have been primarily recognized to possess a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. Studies have reported two different types of defensins (alpha and beta) from human and animals, a cyclic theta defensin from rhesus, and several defensin-like peptides from plants. There is no amino acid sequence homology between these peptides, but they all contain three Cys-Cys disulfide linkages while the connectivities are different. Human beta-defensin-3 (HbetaD-3) is the most recently discovered member of the host-defense peptide family that has attracted much attention. This molecule is expressed either constitutively or induced upon a challenge, and a growing evidence indicates the involvement of such molecules in adaptive immunity as well. It has been shown to exhibit antibacterial activities towards Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as an ability to act as a chemo-attractant. Analysis of NMR structural data suggested a symmetrical dimeric form of this peptide in solution, which consists of three beta strands and a short helix in the N-terminal region. While the disulfide linkages are known to provide the structural stability and stability against proteases, the biological relevance of this dimeric form was contradicted by another biological study. Since there is considerable current interest in developing HbetaD-3 for possible pharmaceutical applications, studies to further our understanding on the determinants of antibacterial activities and immunomodulatory function of HbetaD-3 are considered to be highly significant. The knowledge of its biosynthetic regulation will also help in understanding the role of HbetaD-3 in immunity. This article presents an overview of the expression and regulation of HbetaD-3 in humans, and the structure-function correlations among HbetaD-3 and its modified peptides are discussed emphasizing the functional importance. The future scope for studies on HbetaD-3 and design of short potent antimicrobial peptides, based on the native HbetaD-3 molecule, that do not interfere in the immunomodulatory function is also outlined.

Human beta-defensins (hBDs) are broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides, secreted by epithelial cells of the skin and mucosae, and astrocytes, which we and others have shown to inhibit HIV-1 in primary CD4+ T cells. Although loss of CD4+ T cells contributes to mucosal immune dysfunction, macrophages are a major source of persistence and spread of HIV and also contribute to the development of various HIV-associated complications. We hypothesized that, besides T cells, hBDs could protect macrophages from HIV. Our data in primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) in vitro show that hBD2 and hBD3 inhibit HIV replication in a dose-dependent manner. We determined that hBD2 neither alters surface expression of HIV receptors nor induces expression of anti-HIV cytokines or beta-chemokines in MDM. Studies using a G-protein signaling antagonist in a single-cycle reporter virus system showed that hBD2 suppresses HIV at an early post-entry stage via G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated signaling. We find that MDM express the shared chemokine-hBD receptors CCR2 and CCR6, albeit at variable levels among donors. However, cell surface expression analyses show that neither of these receptors is necessary for hBD2-mediated HIV inhibition, suggesting that hBD2 can signal via additional receptor(s). Our data also illustrate that hBD2 treatment was associated with increased expression of APOBEC3A and 3G antiretroviral restriction factors in MDM. These findings suggest that hBD2 inhibits HIV in MDM via more than one CCR thus adding to the potential of using β-defensins in preventive and therapeutic approaches.