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Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1987 Jun;55(6):1365–1368. doi: 10.1128/iai.55.6.1365-1368.1987

Defensins mediate the microbicidal activity of human neutrophil granule extract against Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

G I Greenwald, T Ganz
PMCID: PMC260521  PMID: 3570467

Abstract

An acid extract of human neutrophil granules was fractionated on a Sephadex G-100 column and tested for microbicidal activity against Acinetobacter calcoaceticus HO-1 as described previously (M.C. Modrzakowski and C. M. Paranavitana, Infect. Immun. 32:668-674, 1981). The low-molecular-weight protein fraction, peak D, accounted for about 30% of the protein and nearly all of the activity of the crude extract against strain HO-1. Peak D protein proved to be a mixture of the three human defensin peptides HNP1, HNP2, and HNP3. Purified defensins reproduced the microbicidal activity of peak D. The data suggest that defensins could play a major role in the killing of A. calcoaceticus by human neutrophils.

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Selected References

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