Rehaume Linda M, Hancock Robert E W
Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4.
Crit Rev Immunol. 2008;28(3):185-200. doi: 10.1615/critrevimmunol.v28.i3.10.
Cationic host defence peptides are an evolutionarily conserved component of the immune system and have been found across a wide variety of species. In lower organisms they comprise a major component of the defensive repertoire, whereas in higher species they are a part of the complex immune system dedicated to protecting against infection. Human neutrophils contain large amounts of the cationic alpha-defensin peptides, HNP-1-3, as well as HNP-4, which is present in lower amounts, while two Paneth cell alpha-defensins, HD-5 and HD-6, are also found in the gut. It is now becoming clear that alpha-defensins have multiple functions in the immune system; however, it is also apparent that although there is redundancy in their function, they also each have unique roles within the ever-increasing complexity of the immune system.
阳离子宿主防御肽是免疫系统中进化上保守的组成部分，在多种物种中都有发现。在低等生物中，它们是防御机制的主要组成部分，而在高等物种中，它们是致力于预防感染的复杂免疫系统的一部分。人类中性粒细胞含有大量阳离子α-防御素肽HNP-1-3以及含量较低的HNP-4，同时在肠道中也发现了两种潘氏细胞α-防御素HD-5和HD-6。现在越来越清楚的是，α-防御素在免疫系统中具有多种功能；然而，同样明显的是，尽管它们的功能存在冗余，但在日益复杂的免疫系统中，它们各自也具有独特的作用。
