Mites are a major source of allergens and contributor to the rising incidence
of allergic diseases, including bronchial asthma, rhinitis, and atopic
dermatitis. Digestive enzymes produced by mites and released into the
environment are potent allergens and a target for the treatment of allergic
hypersensitivity.
We performed the first detailed profiling of digestive proteolytic enzymes in the house dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae using functional proteomics and identified cathepsin B (DfCB) as a new major component protease. Recombinant DfCB was produced in the yeast expression system and enzymologically characterized. Furthermore, the purified DfCB was crystallized, and its preliminary 3D structure was solved by X-ray crystallography.
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by grant LTAUSA19109 from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (MEYS), Gilead Sciences & IOCB Research Center, and institutional projects RVO 61388963.