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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #71482
Title: ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A CLONE ENCODING A MAJOR ALLERGEN (BLA G 90KD) INVOLVED IN IGE MEDIATED COCKROACH HYPERSENSITIVITY

Author
item HELM, RICKI - UNIV. OF ARKANSAS
item COCKRELL, GAEL - UNIV. OF ARKANSAS
item STANLEY, J. - UNIV. OF ARKANSAS
item Brenner, Richard
item BURKS, WESLEY - UNIV. OF ARKANSAS
item BANNON, GARY - UNIV. OF ARKANSAS

Submitted to: Journal of Allergy Clinical Immunology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/12/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: In asthmatics, allergies to cockroaches is second only to housedust mites. German cockroach populations are the most significant allergen-producing species in multi-family dwellings. Enhancement of the indoor environment with selected use of pesticides may not reduce the overall allergen load within the structure. It is suggested that persistent allergenic proteins within the structure may adversely affect human health long after the demise of the pest. Consequently, cooperative research is directed toward identifying and characterizing major cockroach allergenic proteins, developing rapid allergen detection kits so that the fate of allergens can be studied, and developing technologies to denature or eliminate these allergens can be developed. This paper reports that the genetic code has been isolated and cloned that produces a major cockroach allergen with molecular weight of 90,000 Daltons. The recombinant protein from this cloned allergen bound to the serum in 17 of 22 cockroach sensitive persons (77%), indicating that a major allergen had been identified. Subsequent research may result in the development of a simple environmental diagnostic kit that would enable researchers and homeowners to detect these proteins in kitchens, food storage and preparation areas for subsequent elimination. The discoveries reported here also offer potential for medical practitioners in developing improved diagnostic tests for persons with cockroach allergies.

Technical Abstract: Previous studies have established that atopic individuals living in cockroach infested housing become sensitized to cockroach aeroallergens and produce IgE antibodies to a variety of proteins. We describe the isolation of a cDNA clone from an expression library constructed using mRNA from German cockroaches that encodes a major allergen involved in mediating cockroach hypersensitivity. A randomly selected subset of these clones revealed that they were either different isolates of the same gene or members of a closely related gene family. One of the largest clones (a 4kb insert) from this subset, Bla g 90 kD, hybridized to a single mRNA of approximately the same size. Serum from 17 of 22 (77%) patients with cockroach hypersensitivity identified IgE-binding recombinant protein expressed from clone Bla g 90 kD in E. coli XL-Blue cells. This recombinant protein migrates with a molecular weight (90 kD) apparently similar to one identified in whole body extracts. We have identified and isolated a cDNA that encodes a major cockroach allergen (Bla g 90 kD present in German cockroaches.