Background: Bermuda grass pollen (BGP) is an important seasonal aeroallergen worldwide which induces allergic disorders such as allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma. Cyn d 1 is the major allergen of BGP. This study is aimed to map... more
Background: Bermuda grass pollen (BGP) is an important seasonal aeroallergen worldwide which induces allergic disorders such as allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma. Cyn d 1 is the major allergen of BGP. This study is aimed to map human IgE and IgG4 antibody-binding sequential epitopes on Cyn d 1 by dot immunoblotting. Methods: Synthetic peptides (10-mers; 5 overlapping residues) spanning the full length of Cyn d 1 were used for dot immunoblotting to map human IgE and IgG1–4 antibody-binding regions with sera from BGP-allergic patients. Synthetic peptides with more overlapping residues were used for further mapping. Essential amino acids in each epitope were examined by single amino acid substitution with alanine. Peptides with sequence polymorphism of epitopes of Cyn d 1 were also synthesized to extrapolate their differences in binding capability. Results: Four major IgE-binding epitopes (peptides 15–1, 21, 33–2 and 35+1, corresponding to amino acids 70–79, 101–110, 159–167...
