Alternaria alternata allergen Alt a 1: a unique β-barrel protein dimer found exclusively in fungi.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alternaria species is one of the most common molds associated with allergic diseases, and 80% of Alternaria species-sensitive patients produce IgE antibodies to a major protein allergen, Alt a 1. The structure and function of Alt a 1 is unknown.

Objective

We sought to obtain a high-resolution structure of Alt a 1 using x-ray crystallography and to investigate structural relationships between Alt a 1 and other allergens and proteins reported in the Protein Data Bank.

Methods

X-ray crystallography was used to determine the structure of Alt a 1 by using a custom-designed set of crystallization conditions. An initial Alt a 1 model was determined by the application of a Ta(6)Br(12)(2+) cluster and single-wavelength anomalous diffraction. Bioinformatic analyses w

SUBMITTER: Chruszcz M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3391610 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature