Recombinant birch pollen allergens (rBet v 1 and rBet v 2) contain most of the IgE epitopes present in birch, alder, hornbeam, hazel, and oak pollen: A quantitative IgE inhibition study with sera from different populations

• Published in: Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 102; no. 4; pp. 579 - 591
• Main Authors: Niederberger, Verena, Pauli, Gabrielle, Grönlund c, Hans, Fröschl a, Renate, Rumpold, Helmut, Kraft, Dietrich, Valenta, Rudolf, Spitzauer, Susanne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01.10.1998; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Allergens - chemistry; Allergens - immunology; Allergic diseases; Antigens, Plant; Bet v 1; Biological and medical sciences; Contractile Proteins; Cross Reactions; cross-reactivity; Epitope Mapping; Female; General aspects; Humans; immunoabsorption; Immunoglobulin E - immunology; Immunopathology; Male; Medical sciences; Microfilament Proteins - chemistry; Microfilament Proteins - immunology; Middle Aged; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - immunology; Plant Proteins - chemistry; Plant Proteins - immunology; Pollen - chemistry; Pollen - immunology; profilin (Bet v 2); Profilins; Radioallergosorbent Test; Recombinant birch pollen allergens; Recombinant Proteins - chemistry; Recombinant Proteins - immunology; skin prick testing; Skin Tests; tree pollen allergy; Trees; tree pollen allergy; immunoabsorption; kUA; SPT; profilin (Bet v 2); cross-reactivity; skin prick testing; Recombinant birch pollen allergens; Bet v 1; Allergy; Antigenic determinant; IgE; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Immunoblotting assay; Tree; Corylus avellana; Pollen; Inhibition; Recombinant protein; Betulaceae; Human; Immunopathology; Immunoglobulins; Alnus; Aeroallergne; Fagaceae; Carpinus; Quercus; Carpinus betulus; Spermatophyta; Molecular biology; Betula; Allergen
• ISSN: 0091-6749
• DOI: 10.1016/S0091-6749(98)70273-8

Background: Pollen from trees of the order Fagales are important allergen sources in most parts of the world. Clinical, immunochemical, and molecular biology studies indicate that they contain cross-reactive allergens. The major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, and birch profilin, Bet v 2, a highly cross-reactive allergen, have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Objective: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the presence of allergens in Fagales pollens that share IgE epitopes with recombinant Bet v 1 and Bet v 2 and to determine the percentage of birch, alder, hornbeam, hazel, and oak pollen–specific IgE that can be preabsorbed with rBet v 1 and rBet v 2 from 102 sera of different populations of subjects allergic to Fagales tree pollen. Methods: The presence of rBet v 1– and rBet v 2–homologous allergens in tree pollen extracts was investigated by IgE immunoblot inhibition experiments, and the percentage of tree (birch, alder, hornbeam, hazel, and oak) pollen–specific IgE that was bound by a mixture of rBet v 1 and rBet v 2 was determined by RAST-based quantitative IgE inhibition experiments. The clinical significance of IgE antibody cross-reactivity was studied by skin prick testing with rBet v 1, rBet v 2, and Fagales pollen extracts. Results: Natural birch, alder, hornbeam, hazel, and oak pollen contain allergens that share IgE epitopes with rBet v 1 and rBet v 2. A combination of rBet v 1 and rBet v 2 accounted for 82% of tree pollen–specific IgE on average. Most of the tree pollen–specific IgE was directed against rBet v 1. Conclusion: rBet v 1 and rBet v 2 contain most of the Fagales pollen–specific IgE epitopes and may therefore substitute natural tree pollen extracts not only for diagnosis but also for patient-tailored immunotherapy of tree pollen allergy. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1998;102:579-91.)