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Updated: Aug 4, 2025

Creating and Applying a Reference to Facilitate the Discussion and Classification of Proteins in a Diverse Group
Published on: August 16, 2017
Evolutionary diversification of defensins and cathelicidins in birds and primates
Albert van Dijk1, Rodrigo Guabiraba2, Geoffrey Bailleul2
1Department Biomolecular Health Sciences, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
Divergent evolution for more than 310 million years has resulted in an avian immune system that is complex and more compact than that of primates, sharing much of its structure and functions. Not surprisingly, well conserved ancient host defense molecules, such as defensins and cathelicidins, have diversified over time. In this review, we describe how evolution influenced the host defense peptides repertoire, its distribution, and the relationship between structure and biological functions. Marked features of primate and avian HDPs are linked to species-specific characteristics, biological requirements, and environmental challenge.
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