Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zhou YS
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3812073 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Zhou Yu S YS Webb Sheila S Lettice Laura L Tardif Steve S Kilanowski Fiona F Tyrrell Christine C Macpherson Heather H Semple Fiona F Tennant Peter P Baker Tina T Hart Alan A Devenney Paul P Perry Paul P Davey Tracey T Barran Perdita P Barratt Chris L CL Dorin Julia R JR
PLoS genetics 20131024 10
β-defensin peptides are a family of antimicrobial peptides present at mucosal surfaces, with the main site of expression under normal conditions in the male reproductive tract. Although they kill microbes in vitro and interact with immune cells, the precise role of these genes in vivo remains uncertain. We show here that homozygous deletion of a cluster of nine β-defensin genes (DefbΔ9) in the mouse results in male sterility. The sperm derived from the mutants have reduced motility and increased ...[more]