Members of this family have been found exclusively in arthropods. Their function is unknown. Structure analysis of the mite allergen Der p 7 revealed an elongated structure with two 4-stranded antiparallel beta-sheets that wrap around a long C-terminal helix. The fold is similar to that of LPS-binding protein (LBP), which interacts with Toll-like receptors after binding LPS and other bacterially derived lipid ligands. However, Der p 7 did not bind LPS but bound with weak affinity to the bacterial lipopeptide polymyxin B [1].
Der p 7 and Der f 7 are cross-reactive allergens binding IgE from about half of mite allergic patients [2].
Family-defining Pfam domains (at least one of these domains is present in each family member):
| Pfam domain | Pfam clan | ||
| PF16984 | Group 7 allergen | - | |
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