CYPRESS POLLEN ALLERGY - IDENTIFICATION OF ALLERGENS AND CROSS-REACTIVITY BETWEEN DIVERGENT SPECIES

Studies employing sera from 34 subjects allergic to white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla) pollen identified 18 IgE antibody-binding co mponents in the pollen of this species, five of which (MWs similar to 94, 68, 64, 43 and 34 kDa) were recognized by all of the sera. Protein blotting and quantitative inhibition studies revealed clear crossreac tivity between C. glaucophylla and Cupressus sempervirens pollen prote ins and striking similarities in the IgE recognition band patterns of the two pollens. Inhibition experiments with other pollen extracts rev ealed that sera from C. glaucophylla pollen-allergic subjects can be d ivided into two groups - those inhibited only by extracts from the two Cupressaceae pollens and those inhibited both by these pollen protein s and by pollen extracts from other species. Most of the crossreaction s in the latter group cannot be explained on the basis of taxonomic re lationships or separate sensitizations. As with previous studies on bi rch and olive pollens, we conclude that pollen allergenic crossreactiv ity is much more wide-ranging than generally believed.