title: Allergen extracts and recombinant proteins: comparison of efficiency of in vitro allergy diagnostics using multiplex assay on a biological microchip.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Immunological test systems for diagnostics of type I hypersensitivity involve the following types of antigens: whole allergen extracts, individual highly purified proteins and their recombinant analogues. The goal of this study was to compare the results obtained with whole allergen extracts (birch pollen, cat dander, and timothy grass pollen) and their respective recombinant proteins in biochip-based immunoassay.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multiplex fluorescent immunoassay of 139 patients' blood serum samples was carried out using biological microchips (biochips). sIgE concentrations for the chosen allergens and their recombinant components were measured. ROC analysis was used for comparison of the results and determination of diagnostic accuracy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results for the birch pollen extract and its recombinant allergens have shown that the diagnostic accuracy of the methods utilizing the whole allergen extract, its major component Bet v 1 and the combination of major and minor components (Bet v 1 and Bet v 2) was the same. Values for diagnostic accuracy for the cat dander extract and its major recombinant component Fel d 1 were equal. In contrast with birch pollen and cat dander allergens, using of recombinant components of timothy grass pollen (Phl p 1, Phl p 5, Phl p 7 and Phl p 12) did not allow reaching the diagnostic accuracy of using natural extract.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiplex analysis of samples obtained from patients with allergy to birch pollen and cat dander using biological microchips has shown that comparable accuracy was observed for the assay with natural extracts and recombinant allergens. In the case of timothy grass allergen, using the recombinant components may be insufficient.
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences (EIMB RAS), 119991 Vavilova str.,32, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Smoldovskaya
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences (EIMB RAS), 119991 Vavilova str.,32, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Guzel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feyzkhanova
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences (EIMB RAS), 119991 Vavilova str.,32, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arefieva
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences (EIMB RAS), 119991 Vavilova str.,32, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Sergei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Voloshin
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences (EIMB RAS), 119991 Vavilova str.,32, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ivashkina
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences (EIMB RAS), 119991 Vavilova str.,32, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Yuriy
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Reznikov
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences (EIMB RAS), 119991 Vavilova str.,32, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rubina
keywords: Allergy diagnostics; Biochips; Immunoassay; Microarrays; Recombinant allergens