Purification and immunochemical characterization of recombinant and native ragweed allergen Amb a II

Efficient experimental method for purifying allergens from aqueous extracts

Studying the molecular and immunological basis of allergic diseases often requires purified native allergens. The methodologies for protein purification are usually difficult and may not be completely successful. The objective of this work was to describe a methodology to purify allergens from their natural source, while maintaining their native form. The purification strategy consists of a three-step protocol and was used for purifying five specific allergens, Ole e 1, Amb a 1, Alt a 1, Bet v 1 and Cup a 1. Total proteins were extracted in PBS (pH 7.2). Then, the target allergens were pre-purified and enriched by salting-out using increasing concentrations of ammonium sulfate. The allergens were further purified by anion exchange chromatography. Purification of Amb a 1 required an extra step of cation exchange chromatography. The detection of the allergens in the fractions obtained were screened by SDS-PAGE, and Western blot when needed. Further characterization of purified Amb a 1 was performed by mass spectrometry. Ole e 1, Alt a 1, Bet v 1 and Cup a 1 were obtained at > 90 % purity. Amb a 1 was obtained at > 85 % purity. Overall, we propose an easy-to-perform purification approach that allows obtaining highly pure allergens. Since it does not involve neither chaotropic nor organic reagents, we anticipate that the structural and biological functions of the purified molecule remain intact. This method provides a basis for native allergen purification that can be tailored according to specific needs.

Immunologic analysis of monoclonal and immunoglobulin E antibody epitopes on natural and recombinant Amb a 1

BACKGROUND

Amb a 1 is the major allergen from ragweed pollen and more than 90% of ragweed-allergic patients react with this protein. Although Amb a 1 was cloned and sequenced in 1991, little is known of the specificity of anti-Amb a 1 antibodies or of the immunologic properties of the recombinant allergen.

OBJECTIVE

To compare binding of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and IgE antibodies to purified natural Amb a 1 (nAmb a 1) and recombinant Amb a 1 (rAmb a 1).

METHODS

Binding of a panel of anti-Amb a 1 mAb and IgE antibodies to nAmb a 1 or rAmb a 1 was compared by immunoblotting. Chimeric ELISA was used to measure specific IgE to these allergens using 89 ragweed-allergic sera from Austria, Italy, Canada and the United States.

RESULTS

The 8 mAb bound to a 38 kDa Amb a 1 band in ragweed pollen extract and a subset of 5 mAb also bound to the 26 kDa chain of nAmb a 1. A two-site ELISA was developed using a mAb pair, which was approximately 10-fold more sensitive to rAmb a 1. There was a significant correlation between IgE antibody binding to nAmb a 1 and rAmb a 1 (n=89, r=0.79, P<0.001). A subset of approximately 40% of patients showed greater reactivity to nAmb a 1 than to rAmb a 1.

CONCLUSIONS

The data suggest that there is less reactivity of human IgE to rAmb a 1 compared with nAmb a 1. The development of more sensitive, quantitative ELISA for Amb a 1 will require the production of new mAb especially directed against nAmb a 1.

Patterns of pollen cross-allergenicity

Knowledge of patterns of pollen cross-reactivity is crucial for diagnostics and especially for formulation of immunotherapy vaccines in times of diminishing availability of pollen extract constituents. As phylogenetic relationships have become better clarified, it becomes apparent that cross-reactivity does reflect taxonomy in the very great majority of cases. Contradictory observations of unexpected cross-reactivity between unrelated plants, sometimes remarkably distant ones, require explanation. There are many proteins, presumably performing vital functions, that are tightly preserved throughout the evolutionary tree from plants to animals, such as profilins, lipid transfer proteins, and pathogenesis-related proteins. These might function as panallergens. The small differences that exist between these ubiquitous proteins explain why these are frequently minor allergens not reacting in the majority of allergic sera. This review summarizes cross-reactivity studies with both crude pollen extracts and purified or recombinant allergenic proteins. The patterns of cross-allergenicity that emerge should be helpful in guiding both diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.

Proteomics of allergens

The present state of proteomics research is generally outlined and the character of allergenic compounds briefly elucidated. The principles of experimental approaches to isolation, purification, identification and characterization of allergens and to monitoring of their biological activity are described, with emphasis on the most modern methods. Selected examples are given for illustration and important results are summarized in tables.

Sequencing and immunochemical characterization of the American cockroach per a 3 (Cr-PI) isoallergenic variants

Two additional members of the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) Per a 3 (Cr-PI) allergen, C13 and C28, were isolated and sequenced. They encoded proteins of 470 and 393 amino acids with two and no potential N-glycosylation sites, respectively. The molecular weights for C13 and C28 cloned proteins are 56,200 and 46,7000, with PI values of 7.06 and 6.54. C13 and C28 display 95.4% identity with several overlapping predicted central antigenic determinants. Both allergens were also found to have a 95% sequence homology with previously cloned C20 and share similar antigenic determinants, as defined by the structural prediction and ELISA analysis. However, the recombinant C13 and C28 allergens showed 26.3 and 94.7% skin reactivities on asthmatic patients while C20 elicited 47.4%. While no sequence similarity was found to other known allergens, these two aromatic amino acid-rich allergens were highly related to insect hemolymph proteins (28.7-36.5%), as with C20 cloned protein. Results suggest that these two are isoallergenic variants of C20. Sequence variations among isoforms, resulting a significant difference in skin reactivities, will be useful in elucidating the allergenic determinants.

Cloning and expression in yeast Pichia pastoris of a biologically active form of Cyn d 1, the major allergen of Bermuda grass pollen

BACKGROUND

Pollen of grasses, such as Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), represent a major cause of type I allergy.

OBJECTIVE

In this report we attempted to clone and express a biologically active form of recombinant Cyn d 1, the major allergen of Bermuda grass pollen, in the yeast Pichia pastoris.

METHODS

Clones encoding Cyn d 1 were isolated by screening a Bermuda grass pollen complementary DNA library with specific monoclonal antibodies and by polymerase chain reaction amplification. Recombinant Cyn d 1 was expressed in Escherichia coli and yeast. The expressed proteins were analyzed by Western blotting to assess binding to Cyn d 1-specific monoclonal antibodies and IgE from sera of patients allergic to Bermuda grass pollen.

RESULTS

Two isoforms of Cyn d 1 were cloned. Recombinant Cyn d 1 expressed in bacteria bound two monoclonal antibodies raised against Cyn d 1 but was not recognized by IgE from sera of patients allergic to Bermuda grass pollen. Cyn d 1 expressed in yeast bound both the monoclonal antibodies and human IgE.

CONCLUSION

An IgE-reactive Cyn d 1 was expressed in yeast but not in bacteria, suggesting that posttranslational modifications (e.g., glycosylation), which occur in eukaryotic cells such as yeast, are necessary for the production of a biologically active allergen.

Recombinant expression and epitope mapping of grass pollen allergens

We have studied the expression of recombinant forms of Group 1 allergens from rye-grass and Bermuda grass pollens. Recombinant Lol p 1 expressed in bacteria bound serum IgE from allergic patients. Based on analysis of fragments of the Lol p 1 cDNA clone, the major IgE-reactive epitope has been mapped to the C-terminus. However, although SDS-denatured natural Cyn d 1 (from Bermuda grass) bound IgE, the full or partial recombinant proteins expressed in bacteria did not bind IgE. We have since expressed Cyn d 1 in the yeast Pichia pastoris and restored IgE binding. cDNA clones encoding two isoforms of Lol p 5, Lol p 5A and Lol p 5B, have been expressed in bacteria and resulting polypeptides show IgE-binding. Random fragments of these clones have been generated and when expressed as partial recombinant proteins in bacteria, allowed us to identify the major IgE-binding epitopes. The allergenic epitopes were localised towards the C-terminal half of the molecule. Although both isoforms shared similar IgE-reactive epitopes, Lol p 5B did not recognise the Lol p 5A-specific monoclonal antibody A7. At sequence level, there appear to be several amino acid differences between the antigenic epitopes of these two isoallergens. These results aid in the design of diagnostics and in grass pollen immunotherapy.

IgE antibodies to recombinant forms of Fel d I: dichotomy between fluid-phase and solid-phase binding studies

BACKGROUND

The major cat allergen Fel d I consists of two polypeptide chains linked by disulfide bonds, each of which has been expressed in bacteria. To investigate the antigenic structure of Fel d I, antibody binding to the native molecule and to each recombinant chain were compared.

METHODS

Polyclonal human IgE and IgG antibodies and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to Fel d I were compared for binding to Fel d I, chain 1, or chain 2 by fluid-phase inhibition radioimmunoassay, RAST, and immunoabsorption.

RESULTS

In the fluid-phase assay, neither recombinant chain significantly inhibited the binding of antibody to native Fel d I at concentrations of up to 10 micrograms/ml. Partial inhibition was observed when chain 1 was used, which inhibited the binding of two mAbs by 40% and 75%. In contrast, when the solid-phase RAST assay was used, IgE antibodies bound both chains with high specificity, and there was a good quantitative correlation between IgE antibody binding to Fel d I and both chain 1 (r = 0.58, p < 0.01) and chain 2 (r = 0.47, p < 0.01). Up to 70% of IgG or IgE anti-Fel d I antibodies could be absorbed by either chain 1 or chain 2, and both chains in combination produced similar absorption values in response to native Fel d I. Four mAbs were fully absorbed by chain 1, but not chain 2, and three mAbs were not absorbed by either chain.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate a dichotomy between antibody binding to recombinant Fel d I chains, which may be explained by confirmational differences between the chains in the fluid phase or on solid supports. The results also suggest that chain 1 is an important site for mAb-defined B-cell epitopes on Fel d I.

Potential therapeutic recombinant proteins comprised of peptides containing recombined T cell epitopes

The complete primary structure of Fel d I2 has been determined and shown to be comprised of two separate polypeptide chains (designated chain 1 and 2). Overlapping peptides covering the entire sequence of both chains of Fel d I have been used to map the major areas of human T cell reactivity. The present study describes three non-contiguous T cell reactive regions of < 30 aa in length that were assembled in all six possible configurations using PCR and recombinant DNA methods. These six recombinant proteins comprised of defined non-contiguous T cell epitope regions artificially combined into single polypeptide chains have been expressed in E. coli, highly purified, and examined for their ability to bind to human cat-allergic IgE and for human T cell reactivity. Several of these recombined T cell epitope-containing polypeptides exhibit markedly reduced IgE binding as compared to the native Fel d I. Importantly, the human T cell reactivity to individual T cell epitope-containing regions is maintained even though each was placed in an unnatural position as compared to the native molecule. In addition, T cell responses to potential junctional epitopes were not detected. It was also demonstrated in mice that s.c. injection of T cell epitope-containing polypeptides inhibits the T cell response to the individual peptides upon subsequent challenge in vitro. Thus, these recombined T cell epitope-containing polypeptides, which harbor multiple T cell reactive regions but have significantly reduced reactivity with allergic human IgE, constitute a novel potential approach for desensitization to important allergens.