Are allergens more abundant and/or more stable than other proteins in pollens and dust?

Abstract

To the Editor, The human exposome contains millions of proteins, yet only a select few consistently become allergens. This has led to speculation that there are intrinsic factors which differentiate allergens from non-allergens. Anecdotal evidence suggested that abundance and stability could be two such properties, but no rigorous statistical comparisons were available until a study of the dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) combined transcriptomics with proteomics. 1 The Dp study measured transcription levels as a proxy for protein abundance and correlated the results with proteome-wide stability measurements using mass spectrometry. It was found that the mite allergens were as a population more stable and more highly expressed than Dp non-allergens. Dp was a good model

Abundance and Stability as Common Properties of Allergens

“…This was examined using the major birch allergen Bet v 1. Bet v 1 was among the least stable proteins tested by Cabrera et al (29). However, this observation fails to consider the fact that Bet v 1 in its natural allergen source exists as a complex mixture of different isoforms, each with different biophysical properties (85).…”

“…Two recent studies have addressed this major research gap in the field. These studies used RNA-Seq to quantify the transcription levels of 39 allergens and >1,000 non-allergenic proteins from cockroaches, dust mites, and tree, weed, and grass pollens; providing an empirical measurement of abundance within their respective allergen sources ( 28 , 29 ). While the abundance of potential allergens contributes to the likelihood of human exposure, the ability to resist environmental degradation also plays a key role.…”

Allergens and their associated small molecule ligands—their dual role in sensitization

“… 143 Bla g 1 is highly expressed in female cockroaches exclusively by midgut cells with a production that is modulated in relation to food intake. 144 , 145 , 146 A role of Bla g 1 in digestion and nutrient absorption has been suggested. 147 Bla g 1‐encoding DNA has an interesting genetic structure.…”

Advances and novel developments in molecular allergology

“…39 Interestingly, proteins with allergenic activity were found to be relatively more abundant and stable than nonallergens in extracts from birch pollen, timothy grass, ragweed pollen, and German cockroach. 40…”