BACKGROUND: The pollen-food syndrome (PFS) is an association of food allergies to fruits, nuts, and vegetables in patients with pollen allergy. Mal d 1, the major apple allergen, is one of the most commonly associated food allergens for birch pollen-allergic patients suffering from PFS. Although the reactions are due to cross-reactive IgE antibodies originally raised against pollen Bet v 1, not every Bet v 1-allergic patient develops clinical reactions towards apple. AIM OF THE STUDY: We speculate that distinct IgE epitopes are responsible for the clinical manifestation of PFS. To test this hypothesis we grafted five Mal d 1 stretches onto Bet v 1. The grafted regions were 7- or 8-amino acids long encompassing amino acids residues previously shown to be crucial for IgE recognition of Bet v 1. METHODS: A Bet v 1-Mal d 1 chimeric protein designated BMC was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. IgE reactivity of BMC was tested with patients' sera originating from (i) Bet v 1-allergic patients displaying no clinical symptoms upon ingestion of apples; and (ii) Bet v 1-allergic patients displaying allergic symptoms upon ingestion of apples and other Bet v 1-related foods. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared to birch pollen-allergic individuals, patients suffering from PFS showed significantly higher IgE reactivity with BMC (chimeric protein). The results suggest that the Mal d 1 regions grafted onto the Bet v 1 sequence comprise important IgE epitopes recognized by Bet v 1-allergic patients suffering from allergy to apples.
BACKGROUND: The pollen-food syndrome (PFS) is an association of food allergies to fruits, nuts, and vegetables in patients with pollen allergy. Mal d 1, the major apple allergen, is one of the most commonly associated food allergens for birch pollen-allergicpatients suffering from PFS. Although the reactions are due to cross-reactive IgE antibodies originally raised against pollen Bet v 1, not every Bet v 1-allergicpatient develops clinical reactions towards apple. AIM OF THE STUDY: We speculate that distinct IgE epitopes are responsible for the clinical manifestation of PFS. To test this hypothesis we grafted five Mal d 1 stretches onto Bet v 1. The grafted regions were 7- or 8-amino acids long encompassing amino acids residues previously shown to be crucial for IgE recognition of Bet v 1. METHODS: A Bet v 1-Mal d 1 chimeric protein designated BMC was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. IgE reactivity of BMC was tested with patients' sera originating from (i) Bet v 1-allergicpatients displaying no clinical symptoms upon ingestion of apples; and (ii) Bet v 1-allergicpatients displaying allergic symptoms upon ingestion of apples and other Bet v 1-related foods. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared to birch pollen-allergic individuals, patients suffering from PFS showed significantly higher IgE reactivity with BMC (chimeric protein). The results suggest that the Mal d 1 regions grafted onto the Bet v 1 sequence comprise important IgE epitopes recognized by Bet v 1-allergicpatients suffering from allergy to apples.
Authors: Natalia Deus-de-Oliveira; Shayany P Felix; Camila Carrielo-Gama; Keysson V Fernandes; Renato Augusto DaMatta; Olga L T Machado Journal: PLoS One Date: 2011-06-27 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Felix Husslik; Kay-Martin Hanschmann; Ariane Krämer; Christian Seutter von Loetzen; Kristian Schweimer; Iris Bellinghausen; Regina Treudler; Jan C Simon; Lothar Vogel; Elke Völker; Stefanie Randow; Andreas Reuter; Paul Rösch; Stefan Vieths; Thomas Holzhauser; Dirk Schiller Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-07-17 Impact factor: 3.240