title: Changes in the IgE-reacting protein profiles of Acer negundo, Platanus x acerifolia and Quercus robur pollen in response to ozone treatment.
abstract: This study aims to investigate the effects of O3 in protein content and immunoglobulin E (IgE)-binding profiles of Acer negundo, Platanus x acerifolia and Quercus robur pollen. Pollen was exposed to O3 in an environmental chamber, at half, equal and four times the limit value for the human health protection in Europe. Pollen total soluble protein was determined with Coomassie Protein Assay Reagent, and the antigenic and allergenic properties were investigated by SDS-PAGE and immunological techniques using patients' sera. O3 exposure affected total soluble protein content and some protein species within the SDS-PAGE protein profiles. Most of the sera revealed increased IgE reactivity to proteins of A. negundo and Q. robur pollen exposed to the pollutant compared with the non-exposed one, while the opposite was observed in P. x acerifolia pollen. So, the modifications seem to be species dependent, but do not necessarily imply that increase allergenicity would occur in atopic individuals.
authors.affiliation: a Geology Centre of University of Porto , Porto , Portugal.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duque
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Joaquim Esteves
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Ilda
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Abreu
mesh_terms: D031002:Acer; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000494:pharmacology; D000485:Allergens / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology*; D016877:Oxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D010126:Ozone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011058:Pollen / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D029963:Quercus; D064028:Tracheophyta
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000485:Allergens; D016877:Oxidants; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D010126:Ozone
keywords: IgE; allergenicity; ozone; pollen; soluble proteins