Regional Differences in Food Allergies.

The prevalence of food allergies is increasing worldwide. To understand the regional specificities of food allergies and develop effective therapeutic interventions, extensive regional epidemiological studies are necessary. While data regarding incidence, prevalence, regional variation, and treatment in food allergies are available for western countries, such studies may not be available in many Asian countries. China accounts for almost 20% of the world's population and has a vast ethnic diversity, but large-scale meta-analyses of epidemiological studies of food allergy in China are lacking. A literature search revealed 22 publications on the prevalence of food allergy in Chinese populations. A review of these studies showed that the prevalence of food allergies in China is comparable to that in western countries, even though the Chinese diet is vastly different from that of the West and may vary even greatly within China, and finally, specific antigenic triggers of food allergy vary between China and the West and also within China. Current clinical management of food allergy in China includes allergen-specific immunotherapy, Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, and Western medicine. This study demonstrates an unmet need in China for a thorough investigation of the prevalence of food allergies in China, the specific foods involved, and characterization of the specific antigenic triggers of food allergy with respect to ethnicity, age, and diet in China.

Expression and purification of a major allergen, Pla a 1, from Platanus acerifolia pollen and the preparation of its monoclonal antibody.

Platanus acerifolia pollen is considered an important source of airborne allergens in numerous cities. Pla a 1 is a major allergen from P. acerifolia pollen. The present study aimed to express and purify Pla a 1, and to prepare its monoclonal antibody. In the present study, the Pla a 1 gene was subcloned into a pET­28a vector and transformed into the ArcticExpress™ (DE3) RP Escherichia coli host strain. The purified Pla a 1 was then used to immunize BALB/c mice. When serum detection was positive, spleen cells were isolated from the mice and fused with SP2/0 myeloma cells at a ratio of 10:1. Hybridoma cells were screened by indirect ELISA and limiting dilution. Positive cells were used to induce the formation of antibody­containing ascites fluid, and the antibodies were purified using protein A­agarose. The results of the present study demonstrated that recombinant Pla a 1 was successfully expressed and purified, and exhibited positive immunoglobulin E­binding to serum from patients allergic to P. acerifolia. A total of 11 hybridomas that steadily secreted anti­Pla a 1 antibody were obtained and an immunoblotting analysis indicated that all of these monoclonal antibodies specifically recognized the Pla a 1 protein. These results suggested that specific anti­Pla a 1 antibodies may be obtained, which can be used for the rapid detection of Pla a 1 allergens and in the preparation of vaccines against P. acerifolia pollen.

Expression, purification and epitope analysis of Pla a 3 allergen from Platanus acerifolia pollen.

Platanus acerifolia (P. acerifolia) is an important cause of pollinosis in cities. The use of allergen extracts on patients with allergic diseases is the most commonly applied method to attempt to treat pollinosis. Pla a 3, a non­specific lipid transfer protein, is a major allergen present in P. acerifolia pollen extracts. In the present study, the Pla a 3 gene was sub­cloned into a pSUMO­Mut vector using Stu I and Xho I sites and transformed into the Arctic Express™ (DE3) RP E. coli host strain. The purified Pla a 3 allergen was analyzed by western blotting and the results revealed that the Pla a 3 allergen has the ability to bind IgE in the P. acerifolia pollen of allergic patients' sera. Moreover, the authors predicted the potential B cell epitopes of the Pla a 3 allergen using the DNAStar Protean system, the Bioinformatics Predicted Antigenic Peptides system and the BepiPred 1.0 server. In addition, the T cell epitopes were predicted by the SYFPEITHI database and the NetMHCII­2.2 server. As a result, two B cell epitopes (35­45 and 81­86) and four potential T cell epitopes including 2­15, 45­50, 55­61 and 67­73 were predicted in the present study. The current results can be used to contribute to allergen immunotherapies and useful in peptide­based vaccine designs of pollen allergy.