
Research & Science
The Defensin Peptide Family: Alpha, Beta, and Theta Disulfide Classes
Defensins are ancient antimicrobial peptides of innate immunity, sorted into three structural classes — alpha, beta and theta. The dividing line is disulfide connectivity: which of six conserved cysteines bond to which. Here is how the alpha/beta/theta split works, where each class is made, and why researchers keep studying them.

























