Abstract
The grass pollen allergen Lol p III (M r11 000) is a well-characterized antigen that has been found useful in immunogenetic studies of human immune responsiveness. Since immune responsiveness to this allergen is associated with HLA-DR3, we investigated whether there was any sequence in the HLA-D region that would render a person “susceptible” [antibody (Ab)-positive] to the allergen. By sequence-specific oligonucleotide (SSO) slot-blot and sequence analyses of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified genomic DNA from Lol p III responder and nonresponder subjects, Ab responsiveness was found to be strongly associated with the sequence Glu-Tyr-Ser-Thr-Ser (EYSTS), present in the first polymorphic regions of DRβI polypeptide chains of DR3, DR11 (split of DR5), and DRw6. Of the 41 grass-allergic subjects investigated, 19 had the EYSTS sequence, of whom 18 (95%) were Lol p III immunoglobulin G (IgG) Ab responder; among the 22 EYSTS- subjects, ten were Lol p III responders (P=0.0001, relative risk=21.6). No such association was found with any polymorphic sequences in othe DRβ chains,or in DQαI and DQβI chains. These findings suggest that the EYSTS sequence is important in the presentation of an epitope of Lol p III; other sequence(s) may be involved in the presentation of othe epitope(s). To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a strong association between a specific HLA sequence and immune responsiveness to a well-defined antigen. The paper shows that presence of the EYSTS sequence classifies subjects as Lol p III responders in 18/19 cases.
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Ansari, A.A., Shinomiya, N., Zwollo, P. et al. HLA-D gene studies in relation to immune responsiveness to a grass allergen Lol p III. Immunogenetics 33, 24–32 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00211692
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00211692