k217 rHev b 3 Latex

Allergens within Occupational Allergens

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  • Latin name: Hevea brasiliensis
  • Common names: Small rubber particle protein, SRPP
  • Source material: Recombinant non-glycosylated MBP fusion protein produced in an E. coli strain carrying a cloned cDNA encoding Hevea brasiliensis allergen Hev b 3.
Recombinant allergen
Hevea brasiliensis allergen Hev b 3.
 
Biological function
Involved in the biosynthesis of polyisoprene
 
Mw
24 kDa
 
Allergen description
Hev b 3 (1-3) forms an integrated part of the "small rubber particles" (4). It has a significant role in rubber synthesis because of its ability to synthesise long-chain polyisoprene (5).

Hev b 1 is closely related to Hev b 3 (4). Both Hev b 1 and Hev b 3 are major waterinsoluble proteins located on the surface of rubber particles in H. brasiliensis Latex. Hev b 1 is found mainly on large rubber particles, and Hev b 3 mainly on small rubber particles. Both allergens bind IgE antibodies from patients with spina bifida (SB) and Latex allergy (6).

Several studies with sera of Latex sensitised SB patients showed IgE reactivity frequencies of 67-83% (7). The reason for these observed high frequencies might be due to stretches of high sequence homology between Hev b 3 and Hev b 1 (7).

Hev b 3 has been found to be an important allergen in SB patients, but in contrast, the reactivity to Hev b 3 is less frequent among health care workers (HCW) (8). In immunoblots 29/35 SB patients were shown to have allergen-specific IgE binding to rHev b 3, whereas this was only shown in 4 of 15 of the Latex-sensitised group. IgE epitopes on rHev b 3 were shown to abolish all IgE binding to nHev b 3. Hev b 3 is related to Hev b 1 by a sequence identity of 47%. Cross-reactivity between these 2 Latex allergens was illustrated by the large extent of inhibition of IgE binding to nHev b 1 by rHev b 3 (9). However, no cross-reactivity between Hev b 3 and Hev b 1 has been demonstrated at the T cell level (10).

rHev b 3 coupled to ImmunoCAP (Rk217) revealed a comparable frequency of 12.5% in 40 Latex allergic HCW tested (7). 

References:

    1. Yip L, Hickey V, Wagner B, Liss G, Slater J, Breiteneder H, Sussman G, Beezhold D. Skin prick test reactivity to recombinant latex allergens. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2000;121(4):292-9.
    2. Banerjee B, Kanitpong K, Fink JN, Zussman M, Sussman GL, Kelly KJ, Kurup VP. Unique and shared IgE epitopes of Hev b 1 and Hev b 3 in latex allergy. Mol Immunol 2000;37(12-13):789-98.
    3. Oh SK, Kang H, Shin DH, Yang J, Chow KS, Yeang HY, Wagner B, Breiteneder H, Han KH. Isolation, characterization, and functional analysis of a novel cDNA clone encoding a small rubber particle protein from Hevea brasiliensis. J Biol Chem 1999 Jun 11;274(24):17132-8.
    4. Durauer A, Csaszar E, Mechtler K, Jungbauer A, Schmid E. Characterisation of the rubber elongation factor from ammoniated latex by electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 2000;890(1):145-58.
    5. Sussman GL, Beezhold DH, Kurup VP. Allergens and natural rubber proteins. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2002;110(2 Pt 2):S033-9.
    6. Yeang HY, Cheong KF, Sunderasan E, Hamzah S, Chew NP, Hamid S, Hamilton RG, Cardosa MJ. The 14.6 kd rubber elongation factor (Hev b 1) and 24 kd (Hev b 3) rubber particle proteins are recognized by IgE from patients with spina bifida and latex allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1996;98(3):628-39.
    7. Rihs H-P, Raulf-Heimsoth M. Natural rubber latex allergens: Characterization and evaluation of their allergenic capacity. New Horizons, Pharmacia Diagnostics AB 2003;No 3.
    8. Yeang HY, Ward MA, Zamri AS, Dennis MS, Light DR. Amino acid sequence similarity of Hev b 3 to two previously reported 27- and 23-kDa latex proteins allergenic to spina bifida patients. Allergy 1998;53(5):513-9.
    9. Wagner B, Krebitz M, Buck D, Niggemann B, Yeang HY, Han KH, Scheiner O, Breiteneder H. Cloning, expression, and characterization of recombinant Hev b 3, a Hevea brasiliensis protein associated with latex allergy in patients with spina bifida. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;104(5):1084-92.
    10. Bohle B, Wagner B, Vollmann U, Buck D, Niggemann B, Szepfalusi Z, Fischer G, Scheiner O, Breiteneder H, Ebner C. Characterization of T cell responses to Hev b 3, an allergen associated with latex allergy in spina bifida patients. J Immunol 2000;164(8):4393-8.

2006



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