Allergenicity of main birch allergen rBet v1 and high-pressure treatment

Abstract

The aim of our study was to determine the influence of high-pressure treatment on the structure and allergenicity of recombinant rBet v1, the main birch allergen and birch pollen extract. We treated the buffered solutions of rBet v1 and birch pollen extract with high pressure (450–550 MPa) for a period of 10 min at temperatures between 30 and 50 °C. The structural changes in rBet v1 were studied using circular dichroism spectra. The greatest changes in the rBet v1 structure were found in the samples treated at 450 MPa at 30 °C. The samples treated at 500 and 550 MPa at 30 °C (10 min) did not show any structural changes. The allergenic reaction to rBet v1 and the birch pollen extract was tested using Western blot analysis. Pressures of 450–550 MPa (10 min) at temperatures of 30, 40 and 50 °C did not change the allergenicity of the rBet v1 protein or the birch pollen extract when compared with untreated samples.

Keywords:

• birch pollen extract
• rBet v1
• allergen
• high pressure

Acknowledgements

The CD spectra measurements and evaluations were done by Ing. Ondrej Julinek, Institute of Chemical Technology (Prague). His help is cordially acknowledged. This project was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic, National Research Program II, Grant No. 2B06139.