NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

OF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NAMES : NCUBE ROSELYN

STUDENT NUMBER : N02315805V

COURSE TITLE : BIOCHEMISTRY

PROGRAMME : BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

COURSE CODE : MBM1105

NATURAL DEFENSE PROTEINS
THE OBJECTIVES

 Introduction
 Identification
 Outlining
 Conclusion
What are Natural Defense Proteins?
 They are molecules produced by living organisms as
part of their innate immune system.
 Also referred to as the defense proteins or the defense
peptides.
 They play a crucial role in the first line of defense
against pathogens e.g. bacteria, viruses, fungi
Examples of Natural Defense Proteins

 Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs)

 Lysozymes
 Complement Proteins
 Collectins
 (a) Antimicrobial Peptides
 Found in both animals and plants, usually in body secretions
 Usually cationic and amphipathic ( have a positive charge and have
both hydrophilic and hydrophobic characteristics)
 Broad spectrum activity
 AMPs work by disrupting the integrity of microbial cell membranes
 Low likelihood of resistance ( some researchers are investigating
AMPs as alternatives to traditional antimicrobial agents due to the
rapidly increasing antibiotic resistance)
 Role in immunomodulation.
 (b) Lysozymes

 It is a 14 kDa cationic protein molecule

 Found in various bodily secretions e.g. saliva, mucous, tears
 Breakdown bacterial walls i.e. break down the glycosidic
bonds bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan consisting of
repeating units of N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-
acetylmuramic acid (NAM)
 They work in concert with other components of the innate
immune system, such as antimicrobial peptides and the
complement system.
 (c) Complement Proteins
 The complement system is a set of plasma proteins that act
together to attack extracellular forms of pathogens.
 It can be activated directly by pathogens or indirectly by
pathogen-bound antibody.
 Example of complement proteins are C1, C2, C4, C5b, C5a,
C3a, C6, C7, C8, C9, Factor B, Factor D, mannose-binding
lectin, and properdin.
(d) Collectins

 Characterized by their ability to recognize and bind to

specific carbohydrate structures on the surfaces of
pathogens, helping to initiate their elimination by the
immune system
 Mannose-Binding Lectin (MBL): MBL is one of the
most well-studied collectins. It recognizes mannose and
other carbohydrates on the surfaces of pathogens,
initiating the lectin pathway of the complement system
 Conclusion
 Natural defense proteins are a major part of the innate immune system of the
body
 They contribute to the body’s first line of defenses, leading to inflammation.
swelling, reddish skin etc
 Examples are antimicrobial peptides, lysozymes, complement proteins and
collectins
 All these proteins complement each other.
 References

J, H., 2008.
Animal, Plant and Human Immunology Defined Australian Library Journal, pp. 274-294.

L, L., 2009.
The Human Innate Immune System. Health Indicator Research, 98(2), pp. 273-290.
THE END