DETECTION OF HUMAN DEFENSIN-5 IN REPRODUCTIVE TISSUES

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to determine whether tissue-spec ific defensins are expressed within female reproductive tissues. STUDY DESIGN: Messenger ribonucleic acid from amnion, chorion, endometrium, endocervix, myometrium, placenta, small intestine, peripheral blood l ymphocytes, and cervical, endometrial, and trophoblast cell lines was reverse transcribed with a 3'-RACE adapter. 3'-RACE polymerase chain r eaction was conducted with an upstream human defensin 5 primer and 3'- RACE adapter primer, Polymerase chain reaction products hybridizing to a human defensin 5 probe were cloned for sequence analysis. Sequence data were compared against a nucleotide sequence database, and seconda ry structure predictions were made. RESULTS: Chorionic tissue, endocer vical tissue, endometrial tissue, and an endometrial cell line all dem onstrated a single hybridizing 362 bp polymerase chain reaction produc t. Sequence analysis of all clones demonstrated near-perfect identity with human defensin 5. CONCLUSIONS: Human endocervix, endometrium, and chorion express defensin 5 at the level of transcription. These findi ngs suggest that a previously unrecognized mechanism of protecting fem ale reproductive tissues against infection, by means of a natural anti microbial system (defensins), may be present.