Defensins are peptidic components of the innate immune system of plants and animals. In
mammals, defensins have evolved to have a central function in the host defense properties�…

Paneth cells are epithelial granulocytes at the base of the crypts of Lieberk�hn in the small
intestine of many mammalian species. These secretory cells contribute to mucosal barrier�…

Paneth cells at the base of small intestinal crypts of Lieberk�hn secrete high levels of α-
defensins in response to cholinergic and microbial stimuli. Paneth cell α-defensins are�…

Paneth cells in mouse small intestinal crypts secrete granules rich in microbicidal peptides
when exposed to bacteria or bacterial antigens. The dose-dependent secretion occurs�…

Precursors of α-defensin peptides require activation for bactericidal activity. In mouse small
intestine, matrilysin colocalized with α-defensins (cryptdins) in Paneth cell granules, and in�…

Analysis of rhesus macaque leukocytes disclosed the presence of an 18-residue
macrocyclic, tridisulfide antibiotic peptide in granules of neutrophils and monocytes. The�…

Five intestinal defensins, termed cryptdins 1-5, have been purified from mouse small bowel,
sequenced, and localized to the epithelium by immunohistochemistry. Although identified as�…

Type beta transforming growth factor (TGF-beta), a factor produced by many cell types, is a
potent inhibitor of hepatocyte DNA synthesis in vitro. To determine whether TGF-beta can�…

Cryptdins are antimicrobial peptides of the defensin family that are produced by intestinal
Paneth cells. mRNAs encoding 17 cryptdin isoforms have been characterized from a cDNA�…

In August of 2003 and August of 2004, blooms of potentially toxic cyanobacteria Microcystis
spp. persisted in western Lake Erie. Samples collected from the bloom were analyzed for the�…