View source for DEFA3

[[File: 1dfn.jpg|thumb|300 px|Defensin 3, dimer, Human.]]
{{Infobox_gene}}
'''Defensin, alpha 3''' (DEFA3) also known as '''human alpha defensin 3''', '''human neutrophil peptide 3''' (HNP-3) or '''neutrophil defensin 3''' is a human [[protein]] that is encoded by the ''DEFA3'' [[gene]].<ref name="entrez">{{cite web | title = Entrez Gene: defensin| url = https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=gene&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=728358| accessdate = }}</ref> Human alpha defensin 3 belongs to the [[alpha defensin]] family of [[antimicrobial]] [[peptide]]s.

== Function ==

[[Defensin]]s are a family of [[microbicide|microbicidal]] and [[cytotoxicity|cytotoxic]] peptides thought to be involved in host defense. They are abundant in the granules of [[neutrophil]]s and also found in the epithelia of mucosal surfaces such as those of the intestine, respiratory tract, urinary tract, and vagina. Members of the defensin family are highly similar in protein sequence and distinguished by a conserved cysteine motif. Several [[alpha defensin]] genes are clustered on [[chromosome 8]].  The protein encoded by this gene, defensin, alpha 3, is found in the microbicidal granules of neutrophils and likely plays a role in phagocyte-mediated host defense. Several alpha defensin genes are clustered on chromosome 8. This gene differs from [[defensin, alpha 1]] by only one amino acid. This gene and the gene encoding defensin, alpha 1 are both subject to copy number variation.<ref name="entrez"/>

==References==
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==Further reading==
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*{{cite journal  |vauthors=Kocsis AK, Ocsovszky I, Tiszlavicz L |title=Helicobacter pylori induces the release of alpha-defensin by human granulocytes. |journal=Inflamm. Res. |volume=58 |issue= 5 |pages= 241–7 |year= 2009 |pmid= 19169650 |doi= 10.1007/s00011-008-8100-z |display-authors=etal}}
*{{cite journal  |vauthors=Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH |title=Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences. |journal=Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. |volume=99 |issue= 26 |pages= 16899–903 |year= 2002 |pmid= 12477932 |doi= 10.1073/pnas.242603899 |pmc=139241|display-authors=etal}}
*{{cite journal  |vauthors=Aldred PM, Hollox EJ, Armour JA |title=Copy number polymorphism and expression level variation of the human alpha-defensin genes DEFA1 and DEFA3. |journal=Hum. Mol. Genet. |volume=14 |issue= 14 |pages= 2045–52 |year= 2005 |pmid= 15944200 |doi= 10.1093/hmg/ddi209 }}
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[[Category:Defensins]]