Home HOME Acta Virologica 2022 Acta Virologica Vol.66, No.3, p. 249 – 253, 2022

Journal info


Quarterly,
Founded: 1957
ISSN 0001-723X
E-ISSN 1336-2305

Published in English

Impact Factor = 1.82

Aims and Scope
Editorial Info
Abstracted and Indexed
Submission Guidelines

Select Journal







Webshop Cart

Your Cart is currently empty.
Info: Your browser does not accept cookies. To put products into your cart and purchase them you need to enable cookies.

Acta Virologica Vol.66, No.3, p. 249 – 253, 2022

Title: Down regulation of defensin genes during SARS-CoV-2 infection
Author: Mohammed M. Idris, Sarena Banu, Archana B. Siva, Ramakrishnan Nagaraj
Abstract: Defensins, crucial components of the innate immune system, play a vital role against infection as part of frontline immunity. Association of SARS-CoV-2 infection with defensins has not been investigated. In this study, we have investigated the expression of defensin genes in the buccal cavity from patients with COVID-19 infection along with negative control samples. Nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swab samples collected for screening SARS-CoV-2 infection in early 2020 from Hyderabad, India, were analyzed for the expression of major defensin genes by the quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, qRT-PCR. Forty SARS-CoV-2 infected positive and 40 negative swab samples were selected for this study. Based on the qRT-PCR analysis involving gene specific primers for defensin genes, 9 defensin genes were found to be expressed in the nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal cavity. Four defensin genes were found to be significantly down regulated in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients in comparison with the control samples based on differential expression analysis. The significantly down regulated genes were defensin beta 4A/B, 106B, 107B, and 103A. Down regulation of human beta defensin 2, 3, 6 and 7 suggests that antiviral innate immune response provided by defensins may be compromised in SARS-CoV-2 infection resulting in progression of the disease. Correction of the down regulation process through appropriate defensin peptide-based therapy could be an attractive method of treatment.
Keywords: host defense; defensins; COVID-19; gene regulation; SARS-CoV-2
Published online: 27-Aug-2022
Year: 2022, Volume: 66, Issue: 3 Page From: 249, Page To: 253
doi:10.4149/av_2022_306


download file


© AEPress s.r.o
Copyright notice: For any permission to reproduce, archive or otherwise use the documents in the ELiS, please contact AEP.