Roles of Structure and Structural Dynamics in the Antibody Recognition of the Allergen Proteins: An NMR Study on Blomia tropicalis Major Allergen

Blo t 5 is the major allergen from Blomia tropicalis mites and shows strong IgE reactivity with up to 90% of asthmatic and rhinitis patients' sera. The NMR solution structure of Blo t 5 comprises three long α helices, forming a coiled-coil, triple-helical bundle with a left-handed twist. TROSY-NMR experiments were used to study Blo t 5 interaction with the Fab′ of a specific monoclonal antibody, mAb 4A7. The mAb epitope comprises two closely spaced surfaces, I and II, connected by a sharp turn and bearing critical residues Asn46 and Lys47 on one surface, and Lys54 and Arg57 on the other. This discontinuous epitope overlaps with the human IgE epitope(s) of Blo t 5. Epitope surface II is further predicted to undergo conformational exchange in the millisecond to microsecond range. The results presented are critical for the design of a hypoallergenic Blo t 5 for efficacious immunotherapy of allergic diseases.