Immuno-reactive molecules identified from the secreted proteome of Aspergillus fumigatus

The secreted proteomes of a three week old culture of an Indian (190/96) and a German (DAYA) Aspergillus fumigatus isolate were investigated for reactivity with IgG and/or IgE antibodies derived from pooled allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) patients' sera. Two dimensional Western blotting followed by mass spectrometric analysis of the reactive protein spots revealed 35 proteins from the two A. fumigatus strains. There were seven known A. fumigatus allergens among them (Asp f1-4, Asp f9, Asp f10, and Asp f13/15), whereas three proteins displaying significant sequence similarity to known fungal allergens have been assigned as predicted allergens (Dipeptidyl-peptidase-V precursor, Nuclear transport factor 2, and Malate dehydrogenase, NAD-dependent). Eight IgG and IgE reactive proteins were common in both strains; however, 12 proteins specifically reacted in 190/96 and 15 in DAYA. Further testing with sera of 5 individual ABPA patients demonstrated that 12 out of 20 immunoreactive proteins of 190/96 strain of A. fumigatus had consistent reactivity with IgE. Seven of these proteins reacted with IgG also. The 25 of 35 identified proteins are novel with respect to immuno-reactivity with ABPA patients' sera and could form a panel of molecules to improve the currently existing less-sensitive diagnostic methods. Through expressing recombinantly, these proteins may also serve as a tool in desensibilization strategies.