title: Acid-induced polymerization of the group 5 mite allergen from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus.
abstract: House dust mites are the most important source of indoor allergens and cause allergic diseases. Our studies here suggest that the group 5 allergen from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p 5) is monomeric at neutral pH, but forms filaments at low pH. Circular dichroism measurements show Der p 5 is a helical protein, and the protein sequence reveals Der p 5 contains coiled-coil helices. The acid-induced filament assembly could be explained in part by the high content of charged residues (40%) in the coiled-coil structure. Interestingly, some of the known Dermatophagoides allergens also contain a heptad repeat, which could potentially form coiled coils. Therefore, coiled-coil helices may be one of the common structural motifs of mite allergens that contribute to their allergenicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, National Yang-Ming University, 155 Li-Nong Street, Sec. 2, Taipei, Taiwan. shliaw@ym.edu.tw
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Liaw
authors.forename: H Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chua
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000737:chemistry*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides; D002138:Calibration; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides; D006023:Glycoproteins