Purification and Characterization of Naturally Occurring Post-Translationally Cleaved Ara h 6, an Allergen That Contributes Substantially to the Allergenic Potency of Peanut

The 2S albumin Ara h 6 is one of the most important peanut allergens. A post-translationally cleaved Ara h 6 (pAra h 6) was purified from Virginia type peanuts, and the cleavage site was mapped using high-resolution mass spectrometry. Compared to intact Ara h 6, pAra h 6 lacks a 5-amino acid stretch, resembling amino acids 43–47 (UniProt accession number Q647G9) in the nonstructured loop. Consequently, pAra h 6 consists of two chains: an N-terminal chain of approximately 5 kDa and a C-terminal chain of approximately 9 kDa, held together by disulfide bonds. Intermediate post-translationally cleaved products, in which this stretch is cleaved yet still attached to one of the subunits, are also present. The secondary structure and immunoglobulin E (IgE) binding of pAra h 6 resembles that of intact Ara h 6, indicating that the loss of the nonstructured loop is not critical for maintaining the protein structure. Commercially available monoclonal and polyclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies directed to Ara h...