Patterns of pollen cross-allergenicity

Knowledge of patterns of pollen cross-reactivity is crucial for diagnostics and especially for formulation of immunotherapy vaccines in times of diminishing availability of pollen extract constituents. As phylogenetic relationships have become better clarified, it becomes apparent that cross-reactivity does reflect taxonomy in the very great majority of cases. Contradictory observations of unexpected cross-reactivity between unrelated plants, sometimes remarkably distant ones, require explanation. There are many proteins, presumably performing vital functions, that are tightly preserved throughout the evolutionary tree from plants to animals, such as profilins, lipid transfer proteins, and pathogenesis-related proteins. These might function as panallergens. The small differences that exist between these ubiquitous proteins explain why these are frequently minor allergens not reacting in the majority of allergic sera. This review summarizes cross-reactivity studies with both crude pollen extracts and purified or recombinant allergenic proteins. The patterns of cross-allergenicity that emerge should be helpful in guiding both diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.