Cheminformatics and Computational Chemical Biology

Biography

Biography: Cristiano Garino

Abstract

Non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are common allergens particularly widespread within the plant kingdom. They have a highly conserved three-dimensional structure that generate a strong cross-reactivity. In the last years, several web tools for the prediction of allergenicity of new molecules based on their homology with known allergens have been released. The allergenicity of 28 amino acid sequences of nsLTPs homologues was predicted using seven publicly available web tools. Moreover, to evaluate their potential cross-reactivity, their similarity degree to their closest known LTP allergens was calculated. Finally, all sequences were studied for their identity degree with the prototype peach allergen Pru p 3. Most of the analysed sequences displayed a high probability to be allergenic according to all the software employed. The analysed LTPs from bell pepper, cassava, mango, mungbean and soybean showed high homology (>70%) with some known allergenic nsLTPs, revealing a potential risk of cross-reactivity for sensitized individuals. Other analysed amino acid sequences displayed a high degree of identity with Pru p 3 within the consensus sequence responsible for the formation, at three-dimensional level, of its major conformational epitope. Recent studies highlighted how in patients mono-sensitized to peach LTP the levels of IgE seem directly proportional to the chance of developing cross-reactivity to other nsLTPs, and these chances increase the more similar the protein is to Pru p 3. These proteins should be taken into special account for future studies aimed at evaluating the risk of cross-allergenicity in highly sensitized individuals.