Sequence Identity and Antigenic Cross-reactivity of White Face Hornet Venom Allergen, Also a Hyaluronidase, with Other Proteins

Abstract

White face hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) venom has three known protein allergens which induce IgE response in susceptible people. They are antigen 5, phospholipase A1, and hyaluronidase, also known as Dol m 5, 1, and 2, respectively. We have cloned Dol m 2, a protein of 331 residues. When expressed in bacteria, a mixture of recombinant Dol m 2 and its fragments was obtained. The fragments were apparently generated by proteolysis of a Met-Met bond at residue 122, as they were not observed for a Dol m 2 mutant with a Leu-Met bond. Dol m 2 has 56% sequence identity with the honey bee venom allergen hyaluronidase and 27% identity with PH-20, a human sperm protein with hyaluronidase activity. A common feature of hornet venom allergens is their sequence identity with other proteins in our environment. We showed previously the sequence identity of Dol m 5 with a plant protein and a mammalian testis protein and of Dol m 1 with mammalian lipases. In BALB/c mice, Dol m 2 and bee hyaluronidase showed cross-reactivity at both antibody and T cell levels. These findings are relevant to some patients' multiple sensitivity to hornet and bee stings.

Hyaluronidases - a group of neglected enzymes

“…Expression of the cloned cDNA in Ercherichio coli yielded a polypeptide with hyase activity. Recently, the amino acid sequence of the enzyme from hornet venom has also been determined via cDNA cloning (Lu et al, 1995). This hyase comprises 331 amino acids, of which 56% are identical to the bee venom hyase.…”

“…A comparison of the sequence of bee and hornet venom hyases Lu et al, 1995) with those of human, monkey, mouse, and guinea pig PH-20 protein (Lathrop et al, 1990;Y. Lin et al, 1993Y.…”

In Vitro Mutagenesis of PH‐20 Hyaluronidase from Human Sperm

“…The sequence of this enzyme was found to be homologous to PH-20, a polypeptide localized on the head of guinea pig sperm (Lathrop et al, 1990). It could subsequently be demonstrated that PH-20 from different mammalian species has hyaluronidase activity Lin et al, 1994a;Cherr et al, 1996).A comparison of the amino acid sequences of bee and hornet venom hyaluronidases Lu et al, 1995) and those of the human, monkey, mouse, and guinea pig PH-20 proteins (Lathrop et al, 1990; Lin et al, 1994a, b) demonstrated that in a common region encompassing about 340 amino acids, 57 amino acids are conserved in all of these proteins (Fig. 1).…”

“…A comparison of the amino acid sequences of bee and hornet venom hyaluronidases Lu et al, 1995) and those of the human, monkey, mouse, and guinea pig PH-20 proteins (Lathrop et al, 1990; Lin et al, 1994a, b) demonstrated that in a common region encompassing about 340 amino acids, 57 amino acids are conserved in all of these proteins (Fig. 1).…”

Structure and Biology of Stinging Insect Venom Allergens

“…The venom allergens of bees, fire ants and vespids of known sequences and structures are listed in table 2 [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27]. The vespids include hornets, yellow jackets and paper wasps.…”