The major royal jelly proteins comprise 12.5% of the mass and 82-90% of the protein content of honeybee royal jelly [1]. Royal jelly is a substance secreted by the cephalic glands of nurse bees and it is used to trigger development of a queen bee from a bee larva. The biological function of the MRJPs is unknown, but they are believed to play a major role in nutrition due to their high content of essential amino acids. In addition, the protein is cleaved into peptides, the jelleins, with antibacterial and antifungal activities [2].
Two royal jelly proteins, MRJP1 and MRJP2, were identified as major allergens involved in food allergic reactions to royal jelly [3]. Two members of this family, MRJP8 and MRJP9, were found in bee venom and characterised as minor allergen, Api m 11 [4].
Family-defining Pfam domains (at least one of these domains is present in each family member):
Pfam domain | Pfam clan | ||
PF03022 | Major royal jelly protein | CL0186 | Beta propeller clan |
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