Recombinant Human Beta Defensin 4

This lyophilized preparation is stable at 2-4C, but should be kept desiccated at -20C for long term storage. Upon reconstitution, the preparation is stable for up to one week at 2-4C. For maximal stability, apportion the reconstituted preparation into working aliquots and store at -20C to -80C. Avoid repeated freeze/thaw cycles.

Recombinant Human Defensin beta 4 is a single, non-glycosylated polypeptide chain containing 50 amino acids. Defensins (alpha and beta) are cationic peptides with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity that comprise an important arm of the innate immune system. The alpha-defensins are distinguished from the beta-defensins by the pairing of their three disulfide bonds. To date, four human beta-defensins have been identified, BD-1, BD-2, BD-3 and BD-4. The beta-defensin proteins are expressed as the C-terminal portion of precursors and are released by proteolytic cleavage of a signal sequence. beta-defensins contain a six-cysteine motif that forms three intra-molecular disulfide bonds. Beta-defensins are 3-5 kDa peptides ranging in size from 33-47 amino acid residues. BD-4 is expressed in testis, stomach, uterus, neutrophils, thyroid, lung and kidney. In addition to its direct antimicrobial activities, BD-4 is chemoattractant towards human blood monocytes.

Centrifuge vial prior to opening. Add sterile distilled water or aqueous buffer to a concentration of 0.1-1.0 mg/ml. Further dilutions should be made in appropriate buffered solutions.

Fully biologically active when compared to standard. The ED50 determined by a chemotaxis bioassay using human monocytes is less than 100 ng/ml.