Molecular characterization of Hor v 9. Conservation of a T-cell epitope among group IX pollen allergens and human VCAM and CD2.

We have cloned, sequenced and expressed a recombinant group IX pollen allergen from barley (Hordeum vulgare). Hor v 9 is a polypeptide of 313 amino acids. The Hor v 9 cDNA clone was engineered into the E. coli protein expression vector pMAL and expressed as a fusion of maltose binding protein and truncated Hor v 9. Polyclonal antibodies to the fusion protein were raised in mice. Cross-reactive proteins, RNA and DNA homologues were found in many agricultural species including wheat, rye, triticale, oats, maize, sunflower and flax. The presence of group IX-like proteins in a variety of agricultural crops may represent a previously uncharacterized aeroallergenic occupational hazard. Sequence comparisons of the barley allergen, Hor v 9, with Poa p 9 and other cloned group IX pollen allergens revealed putative structural domains common to all. These include a signal peptide, two conserved immunoglobulin-like motifs, a 150 amino acid highly conserved carboxyterminal domain and a carboxyterminal transmembrane helix. This structural arrangement is also found in cell adhesion molecules. The highly conserved T-cell epitope previously characterized and mapped in group IX allergens (and present in Hor v 9) was found in several human cell adhesion molecule sequences (VCAM, NCAM and CD2). This T-cell epitope corresponded to the most highly conserved amino acid residues common to all group IX homologues sequenced to date. CD2 and VCAM are known to play a role in allergic inflammation: VCAM is involved in the recruitment of lymphocytes to sites of inflammation, and cross-linking CD2 leads to T-cell activation. We anticipate that the similar structural arrangement of group IX allergens and human cell adhesion molecules, as well as the presence of a T-cell epitope common to group IX pollen allergens and cell adhesion molecules, will have important consequences in the natural history of the atopic immune response.