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The linear amino acid sequences of the Escherichia coli DNA repair proteins, MutY and endonuclease III, show significant homology, even though these enzymes recognize entirely different substrates. In this study, proteolysis and molecular modeling of MutY were used to elucidate its domain organization. Proteolysis by trypsin cleaved the enzyme into 26-and 13-kDa fragments. NH 2 -terminal sequencing showed that the p13 domain begins at Gln 226 , indicating that the COOH-terminal portion of MutY, absent in endonuclease III, is organized as a separate domain. The large p26 domain is almost equivalent to the size of endonuclease III. Binding activity of the p26 domain to a DNA substrate containing an A⅐G mismatch was comparable with that of the intact enzyme. In vitro studies show that the p26 domain retains adenine glycosylase and AP lyase activity on DNA containing undamaged adenine opposite guanine or 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2-deoxyguanine. Although the activity was somewhat reduced, the above results show that the critical amino acid residues involved in substrate binding and catalysis are present in this domain. The structure predicted by molecular modeling indicates that the region of MutY (Met 1 -Trp 216), which is homologous to endonuclease III exhibits a two domain structure, even though this portion is resistant to proteolysis by trypsin.Proteins are constructed on a modular basis, and frequently these modules or domains are known to have unique functions. Isolation and characterization of these domains provide significant insight into the relationship between particular structural elements of the enzyme and its various activities. The mutY gene of Escherichia coli encodes a 39.1-kDa DNA mismatch repair protein. A significant portion of this protein is homologous to the 26.3-kDa E. coli endonuclease III. These two proteins are 66.3% similar and 23.8% identical over a 181-amino acid region (1). Another enzyme with sequence similarity to MutY is the product of the pdg gene in Micrococcus luteus, which recognizes and incises DNA containing cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (2). The three enzymes mentioned above contain a [4Fe-4S] 2ϩ cluster, coordinated by four cysteine residues which are perfectly conserved in all three proteins.In contrast to their structural similarities, the functional properties of the above three DNA repair proteins are very different. MutY recognizes and removes the undamaged adenine mispaired with guanine, cytosine, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2Ј-deoxyguanine (8-oxo-dG) 1 and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2Ј-deoxyadenine (3) and is also reported to have AP endonuclease activity (4, 5). In vitro experiments show that MutY also recognizes and removes adenine analogs when they are paired with guanine (5).2 Endonuclease III primarily removes oxidized pyrimidines from DNA (6), and the pdg gene product in M. luteus repairs UV-induced pyrimidine dimer lesions in DNA (2). Thus, despite their structural similarities, these DNA repair enzymes have different substrate specificity. The catalytic mechanism of endonuclease III in...

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Pollen from cedar and cypress trees is a major cause of seasonal hypersensitivity in humans in several regions of the Northern Hemisphere. We report the first crystal structure of a cedar allergen, Jun a 1, from the pollen of the mountain cedar Juniperus ashei (Cupressaceae). The core of the structure consists primarily of a parallel ␤-helix, which is nearly identical to that found in the pectin/pectate lyases from several plant pathogenic microorganisms. Four IgE epitopes mapped to the surface of the protein are accessible to the solvent. The conserved vWiDH sequence is covered by the first 30 residues of the N terminus. The potential reactive arginine, analogous to the pectin/pectate lyase reaction site, is accessible to the solvent, but the substrate binding groove is blocked by a histidine-aspartate salt bridge, a glutamine, and an ␣-helix, all of which are unique to Jun a 1. These observations suggest that steric hindrance in Jun a 1 precludes enzyme activity. The overall results suggest that it is the structure of Jun a 1 that makes it a potent allergen.

The group 1 allergens are a major cause of cedar pollen hypersensitivity in several geographic areas. Allergens from several taxa have been shown to cross-react. The goal of these studies was to compare the structural features of the shared and unique epitopes of the group 1 allergen from mountain cedar (Jun a 1) and Japanese cedar (Cry j 1). An array of overlapping peptides from the sequence of Jun a 1 and a panel of monoclonal anti-Cry j 1 antibodies were used to identify the IgE epitopes recognized by cedar-sensitive patients from Texas and Japan. IgE from Japanese patients reacted with peptides representing one of the two linear epitopes within the highly conserved β-helical core structure and both epitopes within less ordered loops and turns near the N-and C-termini of Jun a 1. A threedimensional (3D) model of the Cry j 1, based on the crystal structure of Jun a 1, indicated a similar surface exposure for the four described epitopes of Jun a 1 and the homologous regions of Cry j 1. The monoclonal antibodies identified another shared epitope, which is most likely conformational and a unique Cry j 1 epitope that may be the previously recognized glycopeptide IgE epitope. Defining the structural basis for shared and unique epitopes will help to identify critical features of IgE epitopes that can be used to develop mimotopes or identify allergen homologues for vaccine development.