Structural Phylogeny of Different Allergens May Reveal Common Epitopic Footprint

Abstract

Background: The incidence of allergy has been increasing at an alarming rate over the last few decades. Objective: Our present study aims to find out the structurally homologous motifs present in different proteinaceous allergens. Methods: Significant number of protein sequences and their corresponding structures of various pollen, fungal, bacterial, and food allergens were retrieved and the sequence and structural identity were analyzed. Results: Intra- and inter-sequence along with their structural analysis of the proteinaceous allergens revealed that no significant relationships exist among them. A few, but not the negligible number of high structural similarities, were observed within different groups of allergens from fungus, angiosperms, and animals (Aves and Mammalia). Conclusion: Our in silico study on thirty-six different allergens showed a significant level of structural similarities among themselves, regardless of their sequences.