ISOLATION OF CDNA CODING FOR THE MAJOR MITE ALLERGEN DER P-II BY IGE PLAQUE IMMUNOASSAY

A lambda gtl 1 library made with cDNA from the house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssi-nus was screened with human allergic serum by IgE plaque radioimmunoassay. This resulted in the isolation of clones coding for the major allergen Der p II. The cDNA coded for a 129-residue protein of 14, 131 daltons with no N-glycosylation sites. No sequence homology with other proteins was evident. The Derp II expressed in Escherichia coli reacted with IgE in 14 of 17 sera from mite-allergic patients giving clonal evidence for its designation as a major allergen. This, along with previous work, has resulted in the cloning of the two major mite allergens. © 1990 S. Karger AG, Basel.