?:definition
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Highly conserved cysteine-rich peptides that play a role in host defense, and may be produced in response to microbial products or proinflammatory cytokines. Defensins bind to microbial cell membranes and can become aggregate either to form pore-like structures or to encapsulate the microbe. These peptide aggregates lead to destabilization of the cell membrane and, subsequently, to lysis of the microbe.
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