Friend or foe A novel role of β-defensins in tumor development

For many years, beta-defensins were best known for their antimicrobial activity. However, beta-defensins also exert immunomodulatory functions, such as the chemotactic recruitment of immune cells via chemokine receptors. We demonstrated that mouse beta-defensin 14 recruits CCR6(+) B cells into fibrosarcomas, resulting in enhanced angiogenesis and tumor development.