Abstract
Plant proteins belong to the most frequent elicitors of type I allergic symptoms in industrialized countries. Several relevant plant allergens have been found to be either specifically expressed or highly upregulated in mature pollen. The cDNA coding for a pollen specific maize protein, Zm13, shows significant sequence homology with a number of pollen or anther specific proteins from monocot and dicot plants as well as with recently described allergens from olive and rye grass. To test whether the Zm13 protein might possess IgE-binding capacity, Zm13 was expressed in E. coli. The coding region of Zm13 was PCR amplified from a genomic clone and expressed as a glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein. The recombinant Zm13 fusion protein bound a Zm13 specific rabbit antiserum and reacted with serum IgE from grass pollen allergic patients indicating that Zm13 and homologous proteins represent a family of conserved plant allergens.
Publication types
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Comparative Study
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Allergens*
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Animals
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Antigens, Plant
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Base Sequence
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Cloning, Molecular
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DNA Primers
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Escherichia coli
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Glutathione Transferase / biosynthesis
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Humans
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Hypersensitivity / immunology*
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Immunoglobulin E / metabolism*
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Plant Proteins / biosynthesis*
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Plant Proteins / immunology*
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Plant Proteins / isolation & purification
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Poaceae / metabolism
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Pollen*
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Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Rabbits / immunology
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Recombinant Fusion Proteins / biosynthesis
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Recombinant Fusion Proteins / immunology
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Recombinant Fusion Proteins / isolation & purification
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Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
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Zea mays / immunology
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Zea mays / metabolism*
Substances
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Allergens
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Antigens, Plant
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DNA Primers
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Plant Proteins
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Recombinant Fusion Proteins
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Zm13 protein, Zea mays
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Immunoglobulin E
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Glutathione Transferase
Associated data
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GENBANK/A54002
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GENBANK/P13447
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GENBANK/P19963
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GENBANK/P33050
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GENBANK/S31710
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GENBANK/S43242
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GENBANK/Z25693