Cloning and immunological characterization of the allergen Hel a 2 (profilin) from sunflower pollen

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) sensitization is not always related with occupational allergy. We have isolated the allergen profilin (Hel a 2) from this Compositae plant, cloned and sequenced five cDNAs encoding for full-length or partial Hel a 2. Natural sunflower profilin reacted with specific IgE in the 121 sera tested, at a frequency of 30.5%. Expression of the cDNA encoding Hel a 2 in Escherichia coli and a simple purification procedure by poly-L-proline chromatography allowed immunological characterization of the recombinant allergen. Binding of monoclonal antibodies against sunflower profilin revealed that some epitopes responsible for antigen-specific IgG production were not present in the recombinant allergen. High cross-reactivity has been found between recombinant Hel a 2 and profilins from other Compositae plants and also from botanically distant plants.