CHARACTERIZATION OF CHENOPODIALES (AMARANTHUS-RETROFLEXUS, CHENOPODIUM-ALBUM, KOCHIA-SCOPARIA, SALSOLA-PESTIFER) POLLEN ALLERGENS

Pollen extracts of the four taxonomically related weeds, Amaranthus re troflexus (Ama r), Chenopodium album (Che a), Kochia scoparia (Koc s), and Salsola pestifer (S. kali) (Sal p), were characterized by various methods including crossed immunoelectrophoresis (CIE), crossed radioi mmunoelectrophoresis (CRIE), and SDS-PAGE immunoblotting. The allergen profiles were determined by CRIE and SDS-PAGE IgE immunoblotting. CRI E detected from one to four important allergens, while SDS showed up t o four bands that bound IgE from a number of patient I sera. CRIE and SDS-PAGE immunoblotting did not recognize the same I number of importa nt allergens in the individual weeds, and the number of allergens dete cted by the two methods differed considerably, suggesting that IgE-bin ding epitopes may be denatured during SDS-PAGE. However, it was possib le to correlate the identity of some of the important allergens detect ed by CRIE and SDS-PAGE immunoblotting in all four weeds.