MOLECULAR-CLONING OF THE 2ND MAJOR ALLERGEN, CRY-J-II, FROM JAPANESE CEDAR POLLEN

Cloning of a cDNA from Cryj II, the second major allergen from Japanes e cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen, is described. An isolated Cryj II cDNA contained an open reading frame coding for 514 amino acid resi dues. The mature Cryj II protein consisted of 388 amino acid residues (R(46)S(433)). According to a homology analysis, no amino acid sequenc e homology was observed between Cryj II and Cryj I, another major alle rgen. But Cryj II showed homology with polygalacturonase (PG) derived from tomato (40% identity) at the amino acid level. The sequence infor mation can potentially be used to devise an effective course of immuno therapy for Japanese cedar pollinosis.