Malassezia sympodialis Mala s 1 allergen is a potential KELCH protein that cross reacts with human skin

Dora E Corzo Leon* (Corresponding Author), Annika Scheynius, Donna M MacCallum, Carol A Munro* (Corresponding Author)

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Malassezia are the dominant commensal yeast species of the human skin microbiota and are associated with inflammatory skin diseases, such as atopic eczema (AE). The Mala s 1 allergen of Malassezia sympodialis is a β-propeller protein, inducing both IgE and T-cell reactivity in AE patients. We demonstrate by immuno-electron microscopy that Mala s 1 is mainly located in the M. sympodialis yeast cell wall. An anti-Mala s 1 antibody did not inhibit M. sympodialis growth suggesting Mala s 1 may not be an antifungal target. In silico analysis of the predicted Mala s 1 protein sequence identified a motif indicative of a KELCH protein, a subgroup of β-propeller proteins. To test the hypothesis that antibodies against Mala s 1 cross-react with human skin (KELCH) proteins we examined the binding of the anti-Mala s 1 antibody to human skin explants and visualised binding in the epidermal skin layer. Putative human targets recognised by the anti-Mala s 1 antibody were identified by immunoblotting and proteomics. We propose that Mala s 1 is a KELCH-like β-propeller protein with similarity to human skin proteins. Mala s 1 recognition may trigger cross-reactive responses that contribute to skin diseases associated with M. sympodialis.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberfoad028
Number of pages9
JournalFEMS Yeast Research
Volume23
Early online date15 May 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Jun 2023

Bibliographical note

Open Access via the OUP Agreement

We thank Giuseppe Ianiri and Joe Heitman for their continuous support and many insightful discussions. Thanks to the Microscopy and Histology Facility at the Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, for sample processing and access to microscopes. Thanks to Dr. David Stead and the Aberdeen Proteomics Facility, University of Aberdeen for the proteomics analysis.

Funding
This project was funded by a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award for Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology (097377/Z/11/Z). D.E.C.L., C.M,. and D.M. acknowledge funding from the Wellcome Trust Strategic Award for Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology 097 377/Z/11/Z. A.S. acknowledges, the Swedish Cancer and Allergy Fund.

Data Availability Statement

Supplementary data
Supplementary data are available at FEMSYR online

Keywords

  • allergen
  • KELCH
  • Malassezia sympodialis
  • Mala s 1
  • commensal yeast
  • inflammatory skin disease

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