Thursday 20 January 2011

Amino acid sequence of cat allergen Fel d1

This is an addendum to a page on the main website on cat allergen Fel D1. The amino acid sequence of Fel D1 has been ascertained.

Maltese kitten rescued by Martha Kane in Malta
Maltese rescue cat - photo by Michael at PoC
Yes you have the Fel D1 too.

The allergen is composed "of two polypeptide chains"1.

Polypeptide means: short polymers of amino acids linked by peptide bonds.

Polymers are large molecules (macromolecule) composed of repeating structural units.

Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side chain that varies between different amino acids.

Peptide bond is a covalent chemical bond formed between two molecules when the carboxyl group of one molecule reacts with the amino group of the other molecule, thereby releasing a molecule of water (H2O)



The two chains referred to above are encoded by different genes. Chain 1 of Fel dI shares amino acid homology with rabbit uteroglobin, while chain 2 is a glycoprotein with N-linked oligosaccharides.

Definitions for the above:

"Homology" refers to an homologous trait. Homologous means any characteristic of organisms that is derived from a common ancestor.

Uteroglobin also known as secretoglobin family 1A member 1 (SCGB1A1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SCGB1A1 gene.

Glycoproteins are proteins that contain oligosaccharide chains (glycans) covalently attached to polypeptide side-chains.

Oligosaccharides: a saccharide polymer containing a small number (typically three to ten) of component sugars, also known as simple sugars (monosaccharides)

Source:

Amino acid sequence of Fel dI, the major allergen of the domestic cat: protein sequence analysis and cDNA cloning published by PNAS and authored by

1. J P Morgenstern,
2. I J Griffith,
3. A W Brauer,
4. B L Rogers,
5. J F Bond,
6. M D Chapman, and
7. M C Kuo

Definitions:

Wikipedia authors

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