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Breiteneder H, Kraft D. The History and Science of the Major Birch Pollen Allergen Bet v 1. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1151. [PMID: 37509186 PMCID: PMC10377203 DOI: 10.3390/biom13071151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The term allergy was coined in 1906 by the Austrian scientist and pediatrician Clemens Freiherr von Pirquet. In 1976, Dietrich Kraft became the head of the Allergy and Immunology Research Group at the Department of General and Experimental Pathology of the University of Vienna. In 1983, Kraft proposed to replace natural extracts used in allergy diagnostic tests and vaccines with recombinant allergen molecules and persuaded Michael Breitenbach to contribute his expertise in molecular cloning as one of the mentors of this project. Thus, the foundation for the Vienna School of Molecular Allergology was laid. With the recruitment of Heimo Breiteneder as a young molecular biology researcher, the work began in earnest, resulting in the publication of the cloning of the first plant allergen Bet v 1 in 1989. Bet v 1 has become the subject of a very large number of basic scientific as well as clinical studies. Bet v 1 is also the founding member of the large Bet v 1-like superfamily of proteins with members-based on the ancient conserved Bet v 1 fold-being present in all three domains of life, i.e., archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes. This suggests that the Bet v 1 fold most likely already existed in the last universal common ancestor. The biological function of this protein was probably related to lipid binding. However, during evolution, a functional diversity within the Bet v 1-like superfamily was established. The superfamily comprises 25 families, one of which is the Bet v 1 family, which in turn is composed of 11 subfamilies. One of these, the PR-10-like subfamily of proteins, contains almost all of the Bet v 1 homologous allergens from pollen and plant foods. Structural and functional comparisons of Bet v 1 and its non-allergenic homologs of the superfamily will pave the way for a deeper understanding of the allergic sensitization process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heimo Breiteneder
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center of Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dietrich Kraft
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center of Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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Husbands AY, Feller A, Aggarwal V, Dresden CE, Holub AS, Ha T, Timmermans MCP. The START domain potentiates HD-ZIPIII transcriptional activity. THE PLANT CELL 2023; 35:2332-2348. [PMID: 36861320 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The CLASS III HOMEODOMAIN-LEUCINE ZIPPER (HD-ZIPIII) transcription factors (TFs) were repeatedly deployed over 725 million years of evolution to regulate central developmental innovations. The START domain of this pivotal class of developmental regulators was recognized over 20 years ago, but its putative ligands and functional contributions remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the START domain promotes HD-ZIPIII TF homodimerization and increases transcriptional potency. Effects on transcriptional output can be ported onto heterologous TFs, consistent with principles of evolution via domain capture. We also show the START domain binds several species of phospholipids, and that mutations in conserved residues perturbing ligand binding and/or its downstream conformational readout abolish HD-ZIPIII DNA-binding competence. Our data present a model in which the START domain potentiates transcriptional activity and uses ligand-induced conformational change to render HD-ZIPIII dimers competent to bind DNA. These findings resolve a long-standing mystery in plant development and highlight the flexible and diverse regulatory potential coded within this widely distributed evolutionary module.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aman Y Husbands
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 415 S. University Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Antje Feller
- Center for Plant Molecular Biology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vasudha Aggarwal
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Courtney E Dresden
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 415 S. University Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB), The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - Ashton S Holub
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - Taekjip Ha
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Marja C P Timmermans
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
- Center for Plant Molecular Biology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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