{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n DEFB108B is a member of the β‐defensin family—a set of cationic antimicrobial peptides that contribute to the innate immune response at epithelial barriers. In studies of gingival keratinocytes, expression of DEFB108 (which in this context is referred to as DEFB108B) was shown to be inducible by interleukin‑1β and Candida species, and its expression was further enhanced when IL‑1β was combined with tumor necrosis factor‑α or interferon‑γ. This cytokine‐mediated upregulation suggests that DEFB108B plays a role in amplifying local immune responses and mucosal defense against microbial invasion."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n Moreover, DEFB108B is embedded within a complex and dynamically evolving β‐defensin gene cluster on human chromosome 8p23.1. This locus is characterized by extensive copy number variation and rapid sequence divergence, features that are thought to underlie the functional diversity of its gene products. Such genomic complexity is believed to facilitate rapid adaptation to pathogen pressure, thereby fine‐tuning antimicrobial activity and immunomodulation across different tissues."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_fs", "start_ref": "2", "end_ref": "4"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n In summary, DEFB108B likely contributes to host defense by exerting direct antimicrobial effects and by modulating immune responses in tissues frequently exposed to pathogens. Its inducible expression in response to inflammatory cytokines and microbial challenge, together with its position in a highly variable gene cluster, underscores its potential role in the adaptive fine‑tuning of innate immunity.\n "}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "P Premratanachai, S Joly, G K Johnson, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Expression and regulation of novel human beta-defensins in gingival keratinocytes."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Oral Microbiol Immunol (2004)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1111/j.0902-0055.2002.00127.x"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0902-0055.2002.00127.x"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "14871351"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14871351"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Colin A M Semple, Mark Rolfe, Julia R Dorin "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Duplication and selection in the evolution of primate beta-defensin genes."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Genome Biol (2003)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1186/gb-2003-4-5-r31"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/gb-2003-4-5-r31"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "12734011"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12734011"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Stefan Taudien, Klaus Huse, Marco Groth, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Narrowing down the distal border of the copy number variable beta-defensin gene cluster on human 8p23."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "BMC Res Notes (2014)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1186/1756-0500-7-93"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-7-93"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "24552181"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552181"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Stefan Taudien, Petra Galgoczy, Klaus Huse, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Polymorphic segmental duplications at 8p23.1 challenge the determination of individual defensin gene repertoires and the assembly of a contiguous human reference sequence."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "BMC Genomics (2004)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1186/1471-2164-5-92"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2164-5-92"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "15588320"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15588320"}]}]}]}