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In Silico Identification of Potential American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) Allergens.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Cockroaches have been recognized as a powerful indoor allergen. Cockroach allergy can be a major factor in serious asthma and nasal allergy. Bioinformatics tools have been developed to identify potential allergens. The present study was conducted to identify potential allergens in Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus). METHODS: The study focused on the identification of potential allergens among the characterized proteins of P. americana using web-based and publicly available allergen prediction tools that follow the FAO/WHO guidelines for prediction of allergenic proteins. P. americana protein sequences were retrieved from UniProtKB. The sequences obtained were analyzed using AlgPred. The potential allergens obtained were further analyzed by SDAP for confirmation. RESULTS: Protein sequences (233 cases) of P. americana were obtained from UniProtKB out of which 25 were known allergens. Out of the remaining 208 proteins, 102 potential allergens were predicted by AlgPred. However, only 9 were found to be potential allergens after screening with SDAP. Arginine kinases, RNA polymerase II subunit, parcxpwnx02, peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerase, hemocyanin subunit type I and type II, homologue of Sarcophaga proteinase and alpha amylase were confirmed to be potential allergens by SDAP. CONCLUSION: We have identified nine potential allergens in P. americana that may be used as preliminary support for further laboratory experiments.

SUBMITTER: Ahmed A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3481629 | biostudies-literature | 2010

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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In Silico Identification of Potential American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) Allergens.

Ahmed A A Minhas K K Namood-E-Sahar Aftab O O Khan F Sher FS

Iranian journal of public health 20100930 3

<h4>Background</h4>Cockroaches have been recognized as a powerful indoor allergen. Cockroach allergy can be a major factor in serious asthma and nasal allergy. Bioinformatics tools have been developed to identify potential allergens. The present study was conducted to identify potential allergens in Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus).<h4>Methods</h4>The study focused on the identification of potential allergens among the characterized proteins of P. americana using web-based and publicly available ...[more]

PMID: 23113029

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Project description:Biogenic amines constitute an important group of neuroactive substances that control and modulate various neural circuits. These small organic compounds engage members of the guanine nucleotide-binding protein coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily to evoke specific cellular responses. In addition to dopamine- and 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) receptors, arthropods express receptors that are activated exclusively by tyramine and octopamine. These phenolamines functionally substitute the noradrenergic system of vertebrates Octopamine receptors that are the focus of this study are classified as either α- or β-adrenergic-like. Knowledge on these receptors is scarce for the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). So far, only an α-adrenergic-like octopamine receptor that primarily causes Ca2+ release from intracellular stores has been studied from the cockroach (PaOctα1R). Here we succeeded in cloning a gene from cockroach brain tissue that encodes a β-adrenergic-like receptor and leads to cAMP production upon activation. Notably, the receptor is 100-fold more selective for octopamine than for tyramine. A series of synthetic antagonists selectively block receptor activity with epinastine being the most potent. Bioinformatics allowed us to identify a total of 19 receptor sequences that build the framework of the biogenic amine receptor clade in the American cockroach. Phylogenetic analyses using these sequences and receptor sequences from model organisms showed that the newly cloned gene is an β2-adrenergic-like octopamine receptor. The functional characterization of PaOctβ2R and the bioinformatics data uncovered that the monoaminergic receptor family in the hemimetabolic P. americana is similarly complex as in holometabolic model insects like Drosophila melanogaster and the honeybee, Apis mellifera. Thus, investigating these receptors in detail may contribute to a better understanding of monoaminergic signaling in insect behavior and physiology.

Project description:The catecholamine dopamine plays several vital roles in the central nervous system of many species, but its neural mechanisms remain elusive. Detailed neuroanatomical characterization of dopamine neurons is a prerequisite for elucidating dopamine's actions in the brain. In the present study, we investigated the distribution of dopaminergic neurons in the brain of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, using two antisera: 1) an antiserum against dopamine, and 2) an antiserum against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, an enzyme required for dopamine synthesis), and identified about 250 putatively dopaminergic neurons. The patterns of dopamine- and TH-immunoreactive neurons were strikingly similar, suggesting that both antisera recognize the same sets of "dopaminergic" neurons. The dopamine and TH antibodies intensively or moderately immunolabeled prominent brain neuropils, e.g. the mushroom body (memory center), antennal lobe (first-order olfactory center) and central complex (motor coordination center). All subdivisions of the mushroom body exhibit both dopamine and TH immunoreactivity. Comparison of immunolabeled neurons with those filled by dye injection revealed that a group of immunolabeled neurons with cell bodies near the calyx projects into a distal region of the vertical lobe, which is a plausible site for olfactory memory formation in insects. In the antennal lobe, ordinary glomeruli as well as macroglomeruli exhibit both dopamine and TH immunoreactivity. It is noteworthy that the dopamine antiserum labeled tiny granular structures inside the glomeruli whereas the TH antiserum labeled processes in the marginal regions of the glomeruli, suggesting a different origin. In the central complex, all subdivisions excluding part of the noduli and protocerebral bridge exhibit both dopamine and TH immunoreactivity. These anatomical findings will accelerate our understanding of dopaminergic systems, specifically in neural circuits underlying aversive memory formation and arousal, in insects.

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In Silico Identification of Potential American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) Allergens.

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In Silico Identification of Potential American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) Allergens.

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