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A study was done to localize the soluble antigens on the intact ragweed pollen grains. For this purpose, ragweed pollen grains were paraffin embedded, sectioned and stained with FITC-conjugated antisera to the various ragweed antigens. The results demonstrate that the major water-soluble antigens, WSR, antigen E and RA3 are localized to the exine of the ragweed pollen grain. Similarly, the soluble antigens of grass, timothy and birch pollen were localized to the surface of the respective intact pollen grain.

Washed human leukocytes isolated from ragweed allergic and normal donors were incubated with ¹²⁵ labelled ragweed antigen E, in the presence of EDTA. Autoradiographs of peripheral white blood cells from ragweed allergic donors were incubated with ¹²⁵ labelled ragweed antigen E, in the presence phils and only rarely on the neutrophils. By immunofluorescence γE immunoglobulin localized on the eosinophils and basophils in both ragweed allergic and normal donors. The results indicate that these eosinophilic leukocytes bind ragweed antigen E and that the eosinophils and basophils both are coated with γE immunoglubulin.