Structural Characterization of Food Allergens by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

As allergies, especially those triggered by food, are becoming more and more prevalent, it is of increasing importance to fully understand the structures and dynamic behaviors of allergenic proteins along with their interactions with potential natural ligands. Therefore, we have established a solid routine to achieve structural characterization of food allergens, especially for birch pollen-related cross-reactive proteins from the class 10 of pathogenesis-related proteins (PR-10), by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Following expression of the desired allergen in Escherichia coli in isotope-labeled minimal media, the three-dimensional solution structures of these proteins can be determined, and insight into ligand binding mechanics and structural dynamic properties are accessible through NMR spin relaxation experiments.