Defensin theta 1 pseudogene 2 (DEFT1P2)

Defensin theta 1 pseudogene 2 (DEFT1P2) is an evolutionary remnant of a gene encoding theta-defensin, a type of circular antimicrobial peptide found in some non-human primates but not expressed as a mature protein in humans due to a premature stop codon. In other primates, theta-defensins (also called retrocyclins) display potent antimicrobial and antiviral activity by disrupting microbial cell membranes and blocking viral entry, such as HIV-1. In humans, DEFT1P2 is transcribed but not translated, and its status as a pseudogene means it does not contribute to natural host defense. Experimental methods have restored function in vitro by genetic engineering or aminoglycoside-mediated read-through. The existence of functional protein in non-human primates suggests an ancestral antimicrobial function now lost in great apes and humans.

Other names

Retrocyclin pseudogeneTheta-defensin pseudogeneRTC

no drugs targeting the human pseudogene; retrocyclin in primates blocks pathogen entry by membrane interaction and glycoprotein binding