Quality of timothy pollen (Phleum pratense) from different pollen seasons and different suppliers

Comparison of allergenic potentials of timothy (Phleum pratense) pollens from different pollen seasons collected in the Belgrade area

We investigated extracts of timothy grass pollen from four seasons (1989, 1990, 1991, and 1994) by protein content, SDS-PAGE, immunoblot, RAST, RAST inhibition, and crossed immunoelectrophoresis. Extract of the pollen from 1991 showed the lowest yield in quantitative assays. SDS-PAGE, crossed immunoelectrophoresis, RAST, and RAST inhibition expressed approximately comparable patterns for all extracts except that from 1991. Obviously, the quality of grass pollens, as shown for some ragweed (Ambrosia elatior) pollens depend on year of collection. Our findings are partially in agreement with some earlier examinations of the quality of timothy pollen from different pollen seasons.

Comparison of antigenic and allergenic components of Holoptelea integrifolia pollen collected from different source materials

Antigenic extracts prepared from pollen samples collected at weekly intervals during the same season did not exhibit significant variation in protein concentration. Stored pollen samples from different years, however, showed highly significant variations in protein concentration. The protein content of samples from different ecozones of India also varied (CV = +/- 32%). The IEF and SDS-PAGE patterns were almost identical in samples from the same season, but were variable in the samples stored from different years and different parts of India. IgE binding proteins from different samples also varied depending on the overall protein profiles. Almost all the patients, however, showed IgE binding to four proteins at 50, 60, 66 and 70 kD, indicating the important allergenic components of Holoptelea integrifolia.

Reactivities of immunoglobulin E and immunoglobulin G subclasses identified by isoelectric focusing-immunoprint in allergic patients

Probing of IgE or IgG subclass reactivities on single allergenic components in an extract is tedious and time-consuming under native conditions. Isoelectric focusing immunoblotting combines a powerful, highly resolving native separation method with the specificity and sensitivity of immunological test methods. This method is easy and quick to perform. The potential usefulness of this method is demonstrated by eight examples of a type I or type III allergy analyzing IgE and IgG subclass reactivities and their distribution.

Molecular weight determination of allergen extracts and isolation of allergenic molecules by high-performance liquid chromatography

The usefulness of size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the molecular weight determination of allergen extracts as a method of process control was investigated by measuring seven different batches of timothy pollen extracts. Preparative HPLC was used for the isolation of the major allergen Cat 1, from a crude cat hair and skin scraping (CHSS) extract. The chromatograms of the seven batches of the timothy pollen extracts looked very similar, suggesting the same molecular weight distribution in each extract. The major allergen, Cat 1, could be isolated from the crude CHSS extract by preparative HPLC in acceptable purity, determined by crossed radioimmunoelectrophoresis.