[Beta]-Defensins: Linking Innate and Adaptive Immunity Through Dendritic and T Cell CCR6

Defensins contribute to host defense by disrupting the cytoplasmic membrane of microorganisms. This report shows that human [Beta]-defensins are also chemotactic for immature dendritic cells and memory T cells. Human [Beta]-defensin was selectively chemotactic for cells stably transfected to express human CCR6, a chemokine receptor preferentially expressed by immature dendritic cells and memory T cells. The [Beta]-defensin-induced chemotaxis was sensitive to pertussis toxin and inhibited by antibodies to CCR6. The binding of iodinated LARC, the chemokine ligand for CCR6, to CCR6-transfected cells was competitively displaced by [Beta]-defensin. Thus, [Beta]-defensins may promote adaptive immune responses by recruiting dendritic and T cells to the site of microbial invasion through interaction with CCR6.