Defensins: antimicrobial peptides of vertebrates

This review, based on my presentation at the French Academy of Sciences on May 19, 2003, describes recent progress in the study of antimicrobial peptides, mediators of innate immunity in plants and animals. The main focus is on vertebrate defensins, a family of cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides abundantly represented in human cells and tissues. (C) 2004 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.