Definition of immunogenic carbohydrate epitopes.
Carbohydrates are known as sources of immunological cross-reactivity of allergenic significance. In celery and in cypress pollen, the major allergens Api g 5 and Cup a 1 are recognised by antisera raised against anti-horseradish peroxidase and by patients' IgE which apparently bind carbohydrate epitopes; mass spectrometric analysis of the tryptic peptides and of their N-glycans showed the presence of oligosaccharides carrying both xylose and core alpha1,3-fucose residues. Core alpha1,3-fucose residues are also a feature of invertebrates: genetic and biochemical studies on the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, the parasitic trematode Schistosoma mansoni and the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans indicate that these organisms possess core alpha1,3-fucosyltransferases. Various experiments have shown that fucosyltransferases from both fly and worm are responsible in vivo and in vitro for the synthesis of N-glycans which cross-react with anti-horseradish peroxidase; thus, we can consider these enzymes as useful tools in generating standard compounds for testing cross-reactive carbohydrate epitopes of allergenic interest.
Paschinger
Katharina
K
Department für Chemie, Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien, Austria.
Fabini
Gustáv
G
Schuster
David
D
Rendić
Dubravko
D
Wilson
Iain B H
IB
D000485:Allergens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000737:chemistry; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000737:chemistry; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D005643:Fucose / Q000737:chemistry; D005647:Fucosyltransferases / Q000276:immunology; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013379:Substrate Specificity
D000485:Allergens; D002241:Carbohydrates; D000939:Epitopes; D005643:Fucose; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D005647:Fucosyltransferases