Defensin Beta 127 (DEFb127)

Defensins are cysteine-rich cationic polypeptides that are important in the immunologic response to invading microorganisms. DEFb127 is secreted and is a member of the beta defensin protein family. Beta defensin genes are found in several clusters throughout the genome, with this gene mapping to a cluster at 20p13.DEFB127 gives a significantly negative value for the MB and a significantly positive value for the UK population, which may indicate balancing selection. For DEFB127, D, H, and Fu"""s Fs are all significantly negative for the MB population, which suggests directional selection in this population. For DEFB127, Tajima"""s D is significantly positive in the UK population reflection a signal of either balancing selection or population subdivision.