Open AccessPurification, crystallization and initial crystallographic characterization of brazil‐nut allergen Ber e 2
Author(s) -
Guo Feng,
Jin Tengchuan,
Howard Andrew,
Zhang YuZhu
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
acta crystallographica section f
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1744-3091
DOI - 10.1107/s1744309107051445
Subject(s) - nut , brazil nut , crystallization , chromatography , size exclusion chromatography , legumin , allergen , precipitation , chemistry , materials science , storage protein , allergy , food science , biology , organic chemistry , physics , biochemistry , meteorology , acoustics , enzyme , gene , immunology
Peanut and tree‐nut allergies have attracted considerable attention because of their frequency and their lifelong persistence. Brazil‐nut ( Bertholletia excelsa ) allergies have been well documented and the 11S legumin‐like seed storage protein Ber e 2 (excelsin) is one of the two known brazil‐nut allergens. In this study, Ber e 2 was extracted from brazil‐nut kernels and purified to high purity by crystalline precipitation and gel‐filtration chromatography. Well diffracting single crystals were obtained using the hanging‐drop vapour‐diffusion method. A molecular‐replacement structural solution has been obtained. Refinement of the structure is currently under way.