Glycoproteomic analysis of seven major allergenic proteins reveals novel post-translational modifications

Adnan Halim, Michael C Carlsson, Caroline Benedicte K Mathiesen, Stephanie Brand, Svenning Rune Möller, Carl Erik Olsen, Sergey Y Vakhrushev, Jens Brimnes, Peter Adler Wurtzen, Henrik Ipsen, Bent L Petersen, Hans H Wandall

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Allergenic proteins such as grass pollen and house dust mite (HDM) proteins are known to trigger hypersensitivity reactions of the immune system, leading to what is commonly known as allergy. Key allergenic proteins including sequence variants have been identified but characterization of their post-translational modifications (PTMs) is still limited. Here, we present a detailed PTM(1) characterization of a series of the main and clinically relevant allergens used in allergy tests and vaccines. We employ Orbitrap-based mass spectrometry with complementary fragmentation techniques (HCD/ETD) for site-specific PTM characterization by bottom-up analysis. In addition, top-down mass spectrometry is utilized for targeted analysis of individual proteins, revealing hitherto unknown PTMs of HDM allergens. We demonstrate the presence of lysine-linked polyhexose glycans and asparagine-linked N-acetylhexosamine glycans on HDM allergens. Moreover, we identified more complex glycan structures than previously reported on the major grass pollen group 1 and 5 allergens, implicating important roles for carbohydrates in allergen recognition and response by the immune system. The new findings are important for understanding basic disease-causing mechanisms at the cellular level, which ultimately may pave the way for instigating novel approaches for targeted desensitization strategies and improved allergy vaccines.

Original languageEnglish
JournalMolecular and Cellular Proteomics
Volume14
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)191-204
Number of pages14
ISSN1535-9476
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2015

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