Mercurialis annua: characterization of main allergens and cross-reactivity with other species

• Published in: International archives of allergy and immunology Vol. 112; no. 4; p. 356
• Main Authors: Vallverdú, A, García-Ortega, P, Martínez, J, Martínez, A, Esteban, M I, de Molina, M, Fernández-Távora, L, Fernandez, J, Bartolomé, B, Palacios, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 01-04-1997
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Allergens - chemistry; Allergens - immunology; Allergens - isolation & purification; Animals; Antigens - immunology; Child; Child, Preschool; Cross Reactions; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Plant Proteins - chemistry; Plant Proteins - immunology; Plant Proteins - isolation & purification; Pollen - chemistry; Pollen - immunology; Prevalence; Rabbits; Respiratory Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; Respiratory Hypersensitivity - immunology; Skin Tests; Spain - epidemiology; Spain
• DOI: 10.1159/000237480
• ISSN: 1018-2438

A multicentric study was conducted to evaluate the frequency of Mercurialis annua pollen sensitization in several areas of Spain and to select a population sample to characterize the main allergenic components in M. annua pollen. Patients were recruited from six hospitals in Spain. Out of 420 patients sensitized to pollens, 195 (46.4%) showed positive skin tests to M. annua, thus evidencing the high level of sensitization to the pollen of this plant in Spain. Thirty-seven sera with RAST class values to M. annua > or = 3 were selected for SDS-PAGE immunoblotting analysis. Two main allergenic components with molecular weights of 15.8 and 14.1 kD were detected in 59 and 51% of the sera, respectively, and they were identified as profilins. Isolation of the relevant allergens was made by affinity chromatography on a poly-L-proline-Sepharose column, followed by gel filtration and anion exchange chromatography in the micropreparative SMARTs System. A significant but low antigenic cross-reactivity between M. annua and Olea europaea, Fraxinus elatior, Ricinus communis, Salsola kali, Parietaria judaica and Artemisia vulgaris was demonstrated by several in vitro techniques.