The in vitro phosphorylation of the co-chaperone mSTI1 by cell cycle kinases substantiates a predicted casein kinase II-p34(cdc2)-NLS(CcN) motif

The co-chaperone murine stress-inducible protein 1 (mSTI1), a Hsp70/Hsp90 organizing protein (Hop) homolog, functions as a physical link between Hsp70 and Hsp90 by mediating the formation of the mSTI1/ Hsp70/Hsp90 chaperone heterocomplex. We show here that mSTI1 is an in vitro substrate of cell cycle kinases. Casein kinase II (CKII) phosphorylates mSTI1 at S189, and cdc2 kinase (p34cdc2) at T198, substantiating a predicted CKII-p34cdc2-NLS (CcN) motif. The possible implications of this phosphorylation as a cell cycle checkpoint are discussed

In silico prediction of potential allergenicity of proteins according to the FAO/WHO guidelines with the help of Allermatch

Allermatch™ (http://allermatch.org) is a novel web tool for the efficient and standardized prediction of potential allergenicity of proteins according to the current recommendations of the FAO/WHO Expert Consultation, as outlined in the Codex alimentarius. A query amino-acid sequence is compared against the Allermatch™ Allergen database based on current SwissProt and WHO-IUIS allergen lists. The web tool uses a sliding window to identify stretches of 80 amino acids with more than 35% similarity, or identical small stretches of at least six amino acids. The outcome of the analyses is presented in a concise format. Allermatch™ is likely to contribute to improved, transparent and more consistent analyses of potential allergenicity of genetically modified food prior to market release. In the future, the FAO/WHO guidelines may be improved upon. Different methods that could enhance the predictive value of allergen prediction are discussed