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Calcium-dependent immunoglobulin E recognition of the apo- and calcium-bound form of a cross-reactive two EF-hand timothy grass pollen allergen, Phl p 7

VERENA NIEDERBERGER^*,, BRIGITTE HAYEK, SUSANNE VRTALA, SYLVIA LAFFER, ANNA TWARDOSZ, LUCA VANGELISTA^||, WOLFGANG R. SPERR^§, PETER VALENT^§, HELMUT RUMPOLD, DIETRICH KRAFT, KLAUS EHRENBERGER^*, RUDOLF VALENTA¹ and SUSANNE SPITZAUER

^* Department of Otorhinolaryngology,
Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics,
Institute of General and Experimental Pathology, AKH, University of Vienna, Austria;
^|| European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany; and
^§ Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Hematology, AKH, University of Vienna, Austria

¹Correspondence: Molecular Immunopathology Group, Institute of General and Experimental Pathology, AKH Medical School, University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18–20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.

Type I allergy, an immunodisorder that affects almost 20% of the population worldwide, is based on the immunoglobulin E (IgE) recognition of per se innocuous antigens (allergens). Pollen from wind-pollinated plants belong to the most potent allergen sources. We report the isolation of a cDNA coding for a 8.6 kDa two EF-hand calcium binding allergen, Phl p 7, from a timothy grass (Phleum pratense) pollen expression cDNA library, using serum IgE from a grass pollen allergic patient. Sequence analysis identified Phl p 7 as a member of a recently discovered subfamily of pollen-specific calcium binding proteins. Recombinant Phl p 7 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity as determined by mass spectroscopy. Approximately 10% of pollen allergic patients displayed IgE reactivity to rPhl p 7 and Phl p 7-homologous allergens present in pollens of monocotyledonic and dicotyledonic plants. Circular dichroism analysis of the calcium-bound and apo-rPhl p 7 indicated that differences in IgE recognition may be due to calcium-induced changes in the protein conformation. The fact that patients mount IgE antibodies against different protein conformations is interpreted as a footprint of a preferential sensitization against either form. The biological activity of rPhl p 7 was demonstrated by its ability to induce basophil histamine release and immediate type skin reactions in sensitized individuals. In conclusion, IgE binding to Phl p 7 represents an example for the conformation-dependent IgE recognition of an allergen. Recombinant Phl p 7 may be used for diagnosis and perhaps treatment of a group of patients who suffer from allergy to pollens of many unrelated plant species.—Niederberger, V., Hayek, B., Vrtala, S., Laffer, S., Twardosz, A.,Vangelista, L., Sperr, W. R., Valent, P., Rumpold, H., Kraft, D., Ehrenberger, K., Valenta, R., Spitzauer, S. Calcium-dependent immunoglobulin E recognition of the apo- and calcium-bound form of a cross-reactive two EF-hand timothy grass pollen allergen, Phl p 7.

Key Words: Type I allergy • allergen • EF-hand protein • conformational epitopes • circular dichroism spectroscopy • cross-reactivity • pollen-specific expression

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