Molecular characterization of a cytokinin-inducible periwinkle protein showing sequence homology with pathogenesis-related proteins and the Bet v 1 allergen family.

Cytokinin treatment of periwinkle callus cultures increased the accumulation of a protein, designated T1, in two-dimensional separated protein extracts. The first 30 NH2-terminal amino acids were determined by Edman degradation and showed significant sequence homology with intracellular pathogenesis-related (IPR) plant proteins and the Bet v 1 allergen family. The deduced amino acid sequence of cDNAs coding for T1, isolated by RT-PCR and 5' RACE-PCR, exhibited an average sequence identity of 40% with both IPR and Bet v 1-related allergens. T1 and all related proteins contained a p-loop motif typically found in nucleotide-binding proteins as the most conserved sequence feature. Northern blot analysis showed that cytokinin treatment of periwinkle callus induced T1 transcripts, whereas addition of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid inhibited this accumulation. Hybridization of genomic periwinkle DNA with the T1 cDNA suggested that the protein is encoded by a single-copy gene. Immunoblot studies with a panel of Bet v 1-specific antibodies and sera from Bet v 1 allergic individuals identified T1 as a protein that is immunologically distinct from the Bet v 1 allergen family and has no allergenic properties.