Highly purified. Control Peptide for N5377-02G (anitserum) and N5377-02H (affinity purified antibody). Defensins are a large family of broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides. There were oringinally identified in leukocytes of rabbits and humans. Defensins are cationic/polar peptides (30-35aa; 3-4kD). They are distinguished by a conserved tri-disulfides and a largely b-sheet structure. Defensins expressed at the cell surface have been hypothesized to function as a biochemical barrier against microbial infection by inhibiting colonization of the epithelium by wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. In leukocytes, these peptides are stored in cytoplasmic granules. These granules are released into phagolysosomes where they contribute to the killing of engulfed microorganisms. The genes encoding human alpha- and beta-defensins are clustered in a contiguous segment of chromosome 8p23. Defensins are classified into two families designated alpha and beta based on distinctive, although similar,