Expression and functional characterization of a novel antimicrobial peptide: human beta-defensin118
Abstract Background: β-defensin 118 (DEFB118 ) is a novel host defence peptide (HDP) identified in human. To evaluate its potentials for future utilization, the DEFB118 gene was expressed in Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and the recombinant protein was fully characterized. Methods: The DEFB118 protein was obtained by heterologous expression using E. coli Rosetta (DE3). Antibacterical activity of DEFB118 were determined by using various bacterial strains. IPEC-J cells challenged by E. coli K88 were used to determine its influences on inflammatory responses. Results: The E. coli transformants yielded more than 250 mg/mL D EFB118 protein after 4 h induction by 1.0 mM IPTG. The DEFB118 was estimated by SDS-PAGE to be 30 kDa, and MALDI-TOF analysis verified it is a human β-defensin 118. Importantly, the DEFB118 showed antimicrobial activities against both Gram-negative bacteria ( E. coli K88 and E. coli DH5α) and Gram-positive bacteria ( S. aureus and B. subtilis ), with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4 μg/mL. Hemolytic assays showed that DEFB118 had no detrimental impact on cell viability. Additionally, DEFB118 was found to elevate the viability of IPEC-J2 cells upon E. coli K88 challenge. Moreover, DEFB118 significantly decreased cell apoptosis in the late apoptosis phase and down-regulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as the IL-1β and TNF-a in the IPEC-J2 cells exposure to E. coli K88. Conclusions: These results suggested a novel function of the mammalian defensins, and the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of DEFB118 may allow it a potential substitute for conventionally used antibiotics or drugs.