Canine beta-defensin

Canine β-defensin 103 (cBD103) and its common variant cBD103ΔG23 are multitasking polypeptides. As a β-defensin, cBD103 is one of many antimicrobial agents used by the innate immunity to thwart pathogenic colonization. In this study, we showed that cBD103 was expressed throughout the nasal cavity, with primary expression in the nares as well as respiratory and olfactory epithelia. In the rostral nasal concha, cBD103 was expressed in the epithelium, and to a lesser degree in the lamina propria, but was absent in goblet cells. In the main olfactory epithelium, virtually all cells in the epithelial layer and select cells associated with Bowman's glands expressed cBD103. We also showed that the ΔG23 mutation did not appreciably alter the antimicrobial activity of the peptide against several species of microorganisms tested in nutrient-rich or minimal media or minimal media with salt added. Moreover, we showed antimicrobial activity in minimal media did not necessarily predict the inhibitory action of the peptide in nutrient-rich media. Both forms of cBD103 caused ultrastructural changes (membrane blebbing, condensation of intracellular contents and cell wall lysis) in Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. As a ligand of the melanocortin receptors, we showed that cBD103ΔG23 increased ERK1/2 activation and cAMP accumulation when bound to the human or canine melanocortin-4 receptor, acting as a weak allosteric agonist.

The skin functions as more than a physical barrier to infection. Epithelial cells of the skin can synthesize antimicrobial peptides, including defensins, which exhibit direct antimicrobial activity. Here we characterize the expression pattern, genetic variation and activity of the major β-defensin expressed in canine skin, canine β-defensin 103 (CBD103). The gene encoding CBD103 exhibits two forms of polymorphism: a common 3-basepair deletion allele and a gene copy-number variation. Golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers were the only breeds that encoded the variant allele of CBD103, termed CBD103ΔG23. Both these breeds also exhibited a CBD103 gene copy-number polymorphism that ranged from 2 to 4 gene-copies per diploid genome. Recombinant CBD103 and CBD103ΔG23, as well as the human ortholog human β-defensin 3 (hBD3) and hBD3ΔG23, showed potent and comparable antimicrobial killing against both methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. Skin biopsy specimens from dogs with atopic dermatitis revealed CBD103 expression levels similar to those in healthy controls and comparable at lesional and nonlesional sites. This expression pattern in dogs differs from the previously reported reduced expression of the human ortholog in atopic dermatitis. Overall, the similarities of CBD103 and its human ortholog reported here support the notion that the domestic dog may serve as a valuable model for studying β-defensin biology in the skin.

Background: Canine leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum is a parasitic disease of great veterinary significance. Some dogs infected by L. infantum may mount a strong cellular immune response and clear the infection, while others may respond with exaggerated antibody production against the parasite and develop an overt disease, which may be fatal, if left untreated. The initial factors triggering the polarization of the immune response towards a predominantly T-helper 1 or T-helper 2 cytokines, as well as the markers of resistance and susceptibility to L. infantum infection and disease development in dogs, are not fully understood. Herein, we assessed the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the canine β-defensin-1 (CBD1) gene and the infection by L. infantum in two dog populations from Brazil (Sobral in Ceará State and São Raimundo Nonato in Piauí State) and one dog population from Italy. Results: A total of 387 dogs were assessed for L. infantum by real time PCR and 34.6% of them were positive. In CBD1 gene sequences from these positive dogs, nine polymorphic sites were detected, but only SNPs 3, 4, 7 and 8 were associated with L. infantum, in dogs from southern Italy. No association was found with dogs from Brazil. Conclusion: This study sets the basis for further studies on the usefulness of CBD1 as a marker of L. infantum infection susceptibility in dogs.