[3][4] Defensins form a family of microbicidal and cytotoxic peptides made by neutrophils.

Defensins are short, processed peptide molecules that are classified by structure into three groups: alpha-defensins, beta-defensins and theta-defensins.

All beta-defensin genes are densely clustered in four to five syntenic chromosomal regions.

This duplication results in two identical copies of defensin, beta 106, DEFB106A and DEFB106B, in head-to-head orientation.

[4] The purified DEFB106 showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus.