Department of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology

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Browsing Department of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology by Subject "allergenic proteins"

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    Open Access
    Allergenicity of dominant aeropollen in Nigeria: Part I
    (Current Allergy & Clinical Immunology, 2017-10) Adeniyi, Tiwalade Adeyemi; Adeonipekun, Peter Adegbenga; Olowokudejo, James Dele; Akande, Idowu
    Several pollen grains have been studied in detail for purification and characterisation of allergenic components in the advanced countries; however, many are yet to be studied in the tropics, including Nigeria. To close this gap, four pollen grains (Poaceae – Cynodon dactylon, Panicum maximum; Cyperaceae – Cyperus rotundus and Mariscus alternifolius) found dominant in the air from previous aeropalynological studies in Nigeria were selected. The pollen grains were harvested from fresh anthers and their proteins were extracted, quantified, separated and subjected to Western-blot analysis. The allergenic proteins were also identified. While C. dactylon had the highest protein content (17.09 mg/mL), M. alternifolius had the lowest (11.19 mg/mL). Western-blot analysis showed that individuals were most susceptible to the 35 kDa protein of C. dactylon (76%). Furthermore, only C. dactylon proteins of 14.5 kDa and 35 kDa were identified with their exact matches in the ProFound database (Cyn d 12 and Cyn d 1 respectively), whereas the peptide sequences of eight protein bands were newly added to the database. Of these, the Profilin protein group (14 kDa) is common to all studied pollen grains – an indication of veritable immunotherapeutic potential. This study is the first in Nigeria to record allergenic proteins in these pollen grains and to create a foundation for the development of immunotherapy drugs for allergy treatment in the country