Current overview of allergens of plant pathogenesis related protein families.
Pathogenesis related (PR) proteins are one of the major sources of plant derived allergens. These proteins are induced by the plants as a defense response system in stress conditions like microbial and insect infections, wounding, exposure to harsh chemicals, and atmospheric conditions. However, some plant tissues that are more exposed to environmental conditions like UV irradiation and insect or fungal attacks express these proteins constitutively. These proteins are mostly resistant to proteases and most of them show considerable stability at low pH. Many of these plant pathogenesis related proteins are found to act as food allergens, latex allergens, and pollen allergens. Proteins having similar amino acid sequences among the members of PR proteins may be responsible for cross-reactivity among allergens from diverse plants. This review analyzes the different pathogenesis related protein families that have been reported as allergens. Proteins of these families have been characterized in regard to their biological functions, amino acid sequence, and cross-reactivity. The three-dimensional structures of some of these allergens have also been evaluated to elucidate the antigenic determinants of these molecules and to explain the cross-reactivity among the various allergens.
Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Mau
M
Sinha
Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Rashmi Prabha
RP
Singh
Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Gajraj Singh
GS
Kushwaha
Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Naseer
N
Iqbal
Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Avinash
A
Singh
Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Sanket
S
Kaushik
Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Punit
0000-0002-7358-3716
P
Kaur
Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Sujata
S
Sharma
Department of Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
Tej P
TP
Singh
D000485:Allergens / Q000737:chemistry*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011487:Protein Conformation
D000485:Allergens; D010940:Plant Proteins; C053376:pathogenesis-related proteins, plant