Cobanoglu, SeymanurArslan, ElifYazici, AysenurOrtucu, Serkan2026-03-262026-03-2620231572-38871875-835510.1007/s10930-023-10130-82-s2.0-85161389152https://doi.org/10.1007/s10930-023-10130-8https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14901/3193COVID-19 is a disease that have affected the entire world, and it continues to spread with new variants. A patient's innate immune system plays a critical role in the mild and severe transition of COVID-19. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are important components of the innate immune system, are potential molecules to fight pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Human beta-defensin 2 (hBD-2), a 41-amino-acid antimicrobial peptide, is one of the defensins inducibly expressed in the skin, lungs, and trachea in humans. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the interaction of hBD-2 produced recombinantly in Pichia pastoris with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) under in vitro conditions. First, hBD-2 was cloned in P. pastoris X-33 via the pPICZaA vector, a yeast expression platform, and its expression was confirmed by SDS-PAGE, western blotting, and qRT-PCR. Then, the interaction between recombinant hBD-2 and ACE-2 proteins was revealed by a pull-down assay. In light of these preliminary experiments, we suggest that the recombinantly produced hBD-2 may be protective against SARS-CoV-2 and be used as a supplement in treatment. However, current findings need to be supported by cell culture studies, toxicity analyses, and in vivo experiments.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessHuman Beta-Defensin 2 (Hbd-2)Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 (Ace-2)Recombinant ProductionPichia PastorisCovid-19Article