Molecular cloning and characterization of three beta-defensins from canine testes

Mammalian beta-defensins are small cationic peptides possessing broad antimicrobial and physiological activities. Because dogs are particularly resilient to sexually transmitted diseases, it has been proposed that their antimicrobial peptide repertoire might provide insight into novel antimicrobial therapeutics and treatment regimens. To investigate this proposal, we cloned the full-length cDNA of three canine beta-defensin isoforms (cBD-1, -2, and -3) from canine testicular tissues. Their predicted peptides share identical N-terminal 65-amino-acid residues, including the beta-defensin consensus six-cysteine motif. The two longer isoforms, cBD-2 and -3, possess 4 and 34 additional amino acids, respectively, at the C terminus. To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of cBD, a 34-amino-acid peptide derived from the shared mature peptide region was synthesized. Canine beta-defensin displayed broad antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus; MICs of 6 and 100 mug/ml, respectively), gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae; MICs of 20 to 50, 20, and 50 mug/ml, respectively), and yeast (Candida albicans; MIC of 5 to 50 mug/ml) and lower activity against Ureaplasma urealyticum and U. canigenitalium (MIC of 200 mug/ml). Antimicrobial potency was significantly reduced at salt concentrations higher than 140 mM. All three canine beta-defensins were highly expressed in testis. In situ hybridization indicated that cBD-1 was expressed primarily in Sertoli cells within the seminiferous tubules. In contrast, cBD-2 was located primarily within Leydig cells. The longest isoform, cBD-3, was detected in Sertoli cells and to a lesser extent in the interstitium. The tissue-specific expression and broad antimicrobial activity suggest that canine beta-defensins play an important role in host defense and other physiological functions of the male reproductive system.