AN IMMUNOBLOTTING ANALYSIS OF CROSS-REACTIVITY BETWEEN MELON, AND PLANTAGO AND GRASS POLLENS

It is known that most patients with type I allergy to pollens also suf fer intolerance to fruits. Recently, an epidemiological and CAP-inhibi tion study has shown a new clustering of allergy between melon and Pla ntago and grass pollens. The aim of the present study was to confirm t hese results by immunoblotting analysis and inhibition of immunoblotti ng. Sera from 3 patients with confirmed allergy to melon, and Dactylis glomerata and Plantago lanceolata pollens were used for the in vitro studies. SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting analysis with a pool of sera reve aled that several distinct protein bands were shared by the three extr acts at 14, 31, and a spectrum between 40 and 70 kDa, approximately. I mmunoblotting inhibition experiments, performed with extracts of melon , Plantago and Dactylis, showed that all allergens of melon blotting w ere almost completely inhibited by grass and Plantago pollen extracts. Inversely, the melon extract was capable of inhibiting IgE-binding to various allergens of Dactylis at high mol-mass and partially to the b and at 14 kDa. Moreover, the melon almost totally inhibited the IgE-bi nding capacity to the proteins of Plantago extract. Taken together, th e results support the presence of structurally similar allergens in me lon, Plantago and grass pollens, and that all allergenic epitopes of t he melon are present in these pollens.