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Science. 1999 Oct 15;286(5439):420-1.
Beta-defensins: linking innate and adaptive immunity through dendritic and T cell CCR6.
Yang D,
Chertov O,
Bykovskaia SN,
Chen Q,
Buffo MJ,
Shogan J,
Anderson M,
Schröder JM,
Wang JM,
Howard OM,
Oppenheim JJ.
Laboratory of Molecular Immunoregulation, Division of Basic Sciences, Intramural Research Support Program, SAIC Frederick, National Cancer Institute-Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA.
Defensins contribute to host defense by disrupting the cytoplasmic membrane of microorganisms. This report shows that human beta-defensins are also chemotactic for immature dendritic cells and memory T cells. Human beta-defensin was selectively chemotactic for cells stably transfected to express human CCR6, a chemokine receptor preferentially expressed by immature dendritic cells and memory T cells. The beta-defensin-induced chemotaxis was sensitive to pertussis toxin and inhibited by antibodies to CCR6. The binding of iodinated LARC, the chemokine ligand for CCR6, to CCR6-transfected cells was competitively displaced by beta-defensin. Thus, beta-defensins may promote adaptive immune responses by recruiting dendritic and T cells to the site of microbial invasion through interaction with CCR6.
PMID: 10521347 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]