Human heterophile antibodies recognizing distinct carbohydrate epitopes onbasidiolipids from different mushrooms

Investigating the immune properties of basidiolipids, i.e., glycoinositolph osphoceramides (GIPC) of basidiomytes, higher mushrooms, it was detected th at sera of normal adult human subjects contained IgG2 and IgM heterophile a ntibodies (hetAbs) that immunoreacted with these lipids. However, this immu ne recognition was not shared by the glycolipids of all mushroom species. T he basidiolipids of Amanita virosa (eng., death cup) and Cantharellus cibar ius (engl., chantarelle), of all mushroom species studied, did not bind ant ibodies of normal human sera. In addition, only certain basidiolipids of th e other mushroom species that have been investigated, i.e., Agaricus bispor us (engl., field mushroom), Calvatia exipuliformis engl., puffball), Lentin us edodes (jap., Shiitake), Leccinum scabrum (engl., red birch boletus), an d Pleurotus ostreatus (engl., oyster mushroom), immunoreacted with the huma n hetAbs. The basidiolipids that were recognized by the human hetAbs had ei ther terminal Gal alpha1-6Gal < or Gal beta1-6Man < epitopes. Enzymatic des truction of the respective carbohydrate epitopes abolished the previous imm une reactivity. It is assumed that contact with non human antigens causes g eneration of the anti-basidiolipid antibodies.