Crystal structure of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) allergen Ara h 5

J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Feb 20;61(7):1573-8. doi: 10.1021/jf303861p. Epub 2013 Feb 11.

Abstract

Profilins from numerous species are known to be allergens, including food allergens, such as peanut ( Arachis hypogaea ) allergen Ara h 5, and pollen allergens, such as birch allergen Bet v 2. Patients with pollen allergy can also cross-react to peanut. Structural characterization of allergens will allow a better understanding of the allergenicity of food allergens and their cross-reactivities. The three-dimensional structures of most known food allergens remain to be elucidated. Here, we report the first crystallographic study of a food allergen in the profilin family. The structure of peanut allergen Ara h 5 was determined, and the resolution of the final refined structure was 1.1 Å. Structure alignment revealed that Ara h 5 is more similar to Bet v 2 than to Hev b 8, although sequence alignment suggested that Ara h 5 is more closely related to Hev b 8 than to Bet v 2, indicating that homology-model-based prediction of immunoglobulin E epitopes needs to be interpreted with caution.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Allergens / chemistry*
  • Antigens, Plant / chemistry*
  • Arachis / chemistry*
  • Chromatography, Ion Exchange
  • Glycoproteins / chemistry*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Plant Proteins / chemistry*
  • Profilins / chemistry*
  • Protein Structure, Secondary

Substances

  • Allergens
  • Antigens, Plant
  • Glycoproteins
  • Plant Proteins
  • Profilins