Elusive Structural, Functional, and Immunological Features of Act d 5, the Green Kiwifruit Kiwellin

Lesa R. Offermann, Ivana Giangrieco, Makenzie L. Perdue, Sara Zuzzi, Mario Santoro, Maurizio Tamburrini, Daniel J. Cosgrove, Adriano Mari, Maria Antonietta Ciardiello, Maksymilian Chruszcz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Kiwellin (Act d 5) is an allergenic protein contained in kiwifruit pulp in high amounts. The aim of this study was to investigate the three-dimensional structure of the natural molecule from green kiwifruit and its possible function. Kiwellin was crystallized, and its structure, including post-translational modifications, was elucidated. The molecular weight and structural features, in solution, were analyzed by gel filtration and circular dichroism, respectively. Although structurally similar to expansin, kiwellin lacks expansin activity and carbohydrate binding. A specific algorithm was applied to investigate any possible IgE reactivity correlation between kiwellin and a panel of 102 allergens, including expansins and other carbohydrate-binding allergens. The available data suggest a strong dependence of the kiwellin structure on the environmental/experimental conditions. This dependence therefore poses challenges in detecting the correlations between structural, functional, and immunological features of this protein.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6567-6576
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of agricultural and food chemistry
Volume63
Issue number29
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 29 2015

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemistry
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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