EXPRESSION OF DERMATOPHAGOIDES-PTERONYSSINUS ALLERGEN, DER P-II, IN ESCHERICHIA-COLI AND THE BINDING-STUDIES WITH HUMAN IGE

Lambda gtl 1 clones expressing the major house dust mite allergen, Derp II, have been reported to react with IgE in the serum of a high proportion of allergic patients. The clones described, however, only produced small quantities of protein which was not fused to the P-galactosidase of the vector. A construct of the Der p II is described which produces a fusion of Der p II, minus its leader sequence, with the glutathione-S transferase in the pGEX vector. This could be readily isolated and was shown to react with IgE in 22 of 24 patient sera showing reactivity to native Derp II, the sera not reacting having low reactivity to native protein. Absorption analysis showed that the recombinant material removed most of the IgE reactivity of patients to native Der p II. The construct described, therefore, should be valuable for quantitative studies of a pure mite allergen. © 1990 S. Karger AG, Basel.