# DEFA1

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/defa1/  
OnCo record `defa1` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

DEFA1 (Neutrophil defensin 1) is a gene. The public catalogues list it as a drug target and a biomarker, and clinical evidence ties its variants to diagnosis, prognosis or drug response. Tied to Prostate cancer.

## Summary

Effector molecule of the innate immune system that acts via antibiotic-like properties against a broad array of infectious agents including bacteria, fungi, and viruses or by promoting the activation and maturation of some APCs. Interacts with the essential precursor of cell wall synthesis lipid II to inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis. Inhibits adenovirus infection via inhibition of viral disassembly at the vertex region, thereby restricting the release of internal capsid protein pVI, which is required for endosomal membrane penetration during cell entry.

CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence item and 0 assertions across 1 variant, naming Docetaxel.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: defensin alpha 1; Neutrophil defensin 1; HNP-1; DEF1; DEFA2
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: DEFA1
- Class: other
- Biology: Effector molecule of the innate immune system that acts via antibiotic-like properties against a broad array of infectious agents including bacteria, fungi, and viruses or by promoting the activation and maturation of some APCs. Interacts with the essential precursor of cell wall synthesis lipid II to inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis. Inhibits adenovirus infection via inhibition of viral disassembly at the vertex region, thereby restricting the release of internal capsid protein pVI, which is required for endosomal membrane penetration during cell entry. In addition, interaction with adenovirus capsid leads to the redirection of viral particles to TLR4 thereby promoting a NLRP3-mediated inflammasome response and interleukin 1-beta (IL-1beta) release. Induces the production of proinflammatory cytokines including type I interferon (IFN) in plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) by triggering the degradation of NFKBIA and nuclear translocation of IRF1, both of which are required for activation of pDCs. Location: Secreted (UniProt). Locus 8p23.1 (HGNC).
- Where found: Prostate cancer: CIViC evidence names this disease

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: CIViC lists 1 therapies; CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence items on its variants. Evidence tier "clinical-evidence" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:2761: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:2761
- UniProt P59665: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P59665/entry
- NCBI Gene 1667: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1667
- Ensembl ENSG00000206047: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000206047

## Connected records

- collections: [CIViC](https://onco.cc/collections/civic/)
- cancers: [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/defa1.json