Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Dev Comp Immunol. 2013 Nov;41(3):352-69. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2013.04.019. Epub 2013 May 3.
Host defense peptides (HDPs) are important effector molecules of the innate immune system of vertebrates. These antimicrobial peptides are also present in invertebrates, plants and fungi. HDPs display broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities and fulfill an important role in the first line of defense of many organisms. It is becoming increasingly clear that in the animal kingdom the functions of HDPs are not confined to direct antimicrobial actions. Research in mammals has indicated that HDPs have many immunomodulatory functions and are also involved in other physiological processes ranging from development to wound healing. During the past five years our knowledge about avian HDPs has increased considerably. This review addresses our current knowledge on the evolution, regulation and biological functions of HDPs of birds.
宿主防御肽（HDPs）是脊椎动物先天免疫系统的重要效应分子。这些抗菌肽也存在于无脊椎动物、植物和真菌中。HDPs 具有广谱抗菌活性，在许多生物体的第一道防线中发挥着重要作用。越来越明显的是，在动物王国中，HDPs 的功能不仅限于直接的抗菌作用。对哺乳动物的研究表明，HDPs 具有许多免疫调节功能，还参与从发育到伤口愈合等其他生理过程。在过去的五年中，我们对禽类 HDPs 的了解有了相当大的增加。这篇综述介绍了我们目前对鸟类 HDPs 的进化、调节和生物学功能的认识。
