An Evolutionary History of Defensins: A Role for Copy Number Variation in Maximizing Host Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses

Defensins represent an evolutionary ancient family of antimicrobial peptides that play diverse roles in human health and disease. Defensins are cationic cysteine-containing multifunctional peptides predominantly expressed by epithelial cells or neutrophils. Defensins play a key role in host innate i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Machado, Lee R., Ottolini, Barbara
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2015
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4364288/