Quantitative In Silico Evaluation of Allergenic Proteins from <i>Anacardium occidentale</i>, <i>Carya illinoinensis</i>, <i>Juglans regia</i> and <i>Pistacia vera</i> and Their Epitopes as Precursors of Bioactive Peptides

The aim of the study presented here was to determine if there is a correlation between the presence of specific protein domains within tree nut allergens or tree nut allergen epitopes and the frequency of bioactive fragments and the predicted susceptibility to enzymatic digestion in allergenic prote...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Piotr Minkiewicz, Christopher P. Mattison, Małgorzata Darewicz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-07-01
Series:Current Issues in Molecular Biology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/44/7/214
Description
Summary:The aim of the study presented here was to determine if there is a correlation between the presence of specific protein domains within tree nut allergens or tree nut allergen epitopes and the frequency of bioactive fragments and the predicted susceptibility to enzymatic digestion in allergenic proteins from tree nuts of cashew (<i>Anacardium occidentale</i>), pecan (<i>Carya illinoinensis</i>), English walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i>) and pistachio (<i>Pistacia vera</i>) plants. These bioactive peptides are distributed along the length of the protein and are not enriched in IgE epitope sequences. Classification of proteins as bioactive peptide precursors based on the presence of specific protein domains may be a promising approach. Proteins possessing a vicilin, N-terminal family domain, or napin domain contain a relatively low occurrence of bioactive fragments. In contrast, proteins possessing the cupin 1 domain without the vicilin N-terminal family domain contain a relatively high total frequency of bioactive fragments and predicted release of bioactive fragments by the joint action of pepsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin. This approach could be utilized in food science to simplify the selection of protein domains enriched for bioactive peptides.
ISSN:1467-3037
1467-3045