ABSTRACT
Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f), one of the main species of house dust mites, produces more than 30 allergens. A recently identified allergen belonging to the alpha-tubulin protein family, Der f 33, has not been characterized in detail. In this study, we used bioinformatics tools to construct the secondary and tertiary structures and predict the B and T cell epitopes of Der f 33. First, protein attribution, protein patterns, and physicochemical properties were predicted. Then, a reasonable tertiary structure was constructed by homology modeling. In addition, six B cell epitopes (amino acid positions 34-45, 63-67, 103-108, 224-230, 308-316, and 365-377) and four T cell epitopes (positions 178-186, 241-249, 335-343, and 402-410) were predicted. These results established a theoretical basis for further studies and eventual epitope-based vaccine design against Der f 33.
Subject(s)
Animals , Tubulin/chemistry , Allergens/chemistry , Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/chemistry , Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte/chemistry , Dermatophagoides farinae/chemistry , Antigens, Dermatophagoides/chemistry , Tubulin/genetics , Tubulin/immunology , Allergens/genetics , Allergens/immunology , Molecular Structure , Protein Structure, Tertiary , Epitope Mapping , Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/genetics , Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte/genetics , Computational Biology , Sequence Analysis, Protein , Dermatophagoides farinae/genetics , Dermatophagoides farinae/immunology , Antigens, Dermatophagoides/genetics , Antigens, Dermatophagoides/immunologyABSTRACT
Many allergists are currently focusing on the development of new diagnostic tools, and are attempting to improve both the sensitivity and specificity. A multiple allergen simultaneous test-chemiluminescent assay (MAST-CLA) is one of the most popular diagnostic tools used in the Republic of Korea. However, there remains controversy among allergists with regard to the cut-off point for a positive result. The present study was conducted in order to determine the validity of MAST-CLA as compared with that of the skin prick test, with particular emphasis on arthropod allergens, on the basis of percentage agreement rates and k-values, and also to suggest the optimal positive cutoff points using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The study was conducted with 97 subjects (54 men, 43 women). Optimal individual cut-off points were calculated as follows; class II for Dermatophagoides farinae, class I for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and trace for a cockroach mix. These findings suggest that attempting to apply optimal individual cut-off points will be a good way of improving diagnostic tests, particularly MAST-CLA.