2lm9

Publication Abstract from PubMed

Blo t 21 is a paralogue of the group 5 allergen, Blo t 5, a major allergen from the dust mite Blomia tropicalis. Blo t 21 has moderate sequence identity (40.7%) to Blo t 5 and low-to-moderate cross-reactivity to Blo t 5. In B. tropicalis, the most prevalent and allergenic allergens are in the order of Blo t 21, Blo t 5 and Blo t 7. Here, we determined the NMR solution structure of Blo t 21 which represents the first structure of the group 21 dust mite allergen. The structure of Blo t 21 closely resembles the structures of Blo t 5 and Der p 5, comprising three anti-parallel alpha-helices arranged in a helical bundle. Using site-directed mutagenesis and specific IgE binding ELISA, Blo t 21 was found to contain both conserved and unique charged IgE eptope residues at the L2 loop region and on helix alpha3. Cross-inhibition assays confirmed that Blo t 21 has a low-to-moderate cross-reactivity with Blo t 5 and Der p 5 and represents a novel group of major allergen in B. tropicalis. In addition to group 5 allergens, Blo t 21 has also a low-to-moderate cross-reactivity with group 21 allergens from Dermatophagoides mites, confirming that B. tropicalis is a major and distinct source of dust mite allergens.

NMR structure and IgE epitopes of Blo t 21, a major dust mite allergen from Blomia tropicalis.,Tan KW, Ong TC, Gao YF, Tiong YS, Wong KN, Chew FT, Mok YK J Biol Chem. 2012 Aug 10. PMID:22887997^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.