Author/Authors :
Soleimani, Ali Research Institute of Physiology and Biotechnology of Agriculture - University of Zanjan , Morales, Sonia Department of Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants - Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, Granada, Spain , Lopez, Jose Carlos Jimenez Department of Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants - Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, Granada, Spain , Castro, Antonio Jesús Department of Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants - Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, Granada, Spain , García, María Isabel Rodríguez Department of Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants - Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, Granada, Spain , Alché, Juan de Dios Department of Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants - Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, Granada, Spain
Abstract :
Molecular evidence on the heterogeneity present in the Ole e 1 allergen of the olive
pollen is emerging. Such polymorphism is dependent on the cultivar origin of pollen, which
also determines wide differences in the expression of this protein. Determination of
biochemical and molecular characteristics of Ole e 1 pollen allergen in two Iranian olive
cultivars, namely 'Rowghani' and 'Zard' is necessary to assess their allergenicity potential.
SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting analysis of pollen extracts showed that both cultivars
present high and low expression of Ole e 1, respectively. These protein levels correlated with
similarly different levels of transcripts, as determined by RT-PCR. Two-dimensional protein
profiles also showed conspicuous differences in the distribution and the level of expression
of those spots reacting to an anti-Ole e 1 antibody.
Bioinformatic analysis of four Ole e 1 sequences corresponding to 'Rowghani' and two
sequences for 'Zard', showed numerous heterogeneities when compared with those Ole e 1
and Ole e 1-like sequences present in databases. Nucleotide substitutions resulted in many
cases in changes over the predicted amino acid sequences. A cladistic analysis of the
sequences showed Iranian entries in a central position between West-European sequences,
and Ole e 1-like sequences from other Oleaceae species.
Moreover, amino acid changes affected key epitopes of the protein involved in the
recognition of the protein by the human immune system. Putative implications of
polymorphism in both the biological role and the allergic reactivity of Ole e 1 are discussed.
Keywords :
Allergen , Cultivar , Gene Expression , Ole e 1 , Olive , Pollen , Polymorphism
