LOCALIZATION OF MAJOR ALLERGENS IN THE DUST-MITE LEPIDOGLYPHUS-DESTRUCTOR WITH CONFOCAL LASER-SCANNING MICROSCOPY

The dust mite Lepidoglyphus destructor is the dominating source of all ergens giving rise to asthma and rhinitis among farmers. In a previous study of the localization of allergens in L. destructor we demonstrat ed that the 39 kDa allergen is associated with digestion. Here we desc ribe the localization of the principal 15 kDa allergen and the high mo lecular weight allergen complex (79 and 93 kDa) in L. destructor with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Cryostat-cut sections of mi te bodies and faecal pellets were probed with mouse monoclonal antibod ies (MoAbs) raised against the allergens. The 15 kDa allergen disclose d labelling of the mite body and most of the faecal pellets but left t he exoskeleton unlabelled. The binding was widespread, and most intens e in the mouth region. However, some staining was also observed around the gastrointestinal tract. In contrast, the 79 and 93 kDa allergen c omplex stained the exoskeleton and the front part of the mite. Interes tingly, we detected no labelling of the faecal pellets with the MoAb a gainst the 79/93 kDa allergen. The study indicates that the 15 kDa all ergen is associated with the digestive tract whereas the function of t he 79 and 93 kDa allergen complex remains to be elucidated.