Allergenic and mutagenic characterization of 14 Penicillium species

Extracts of 14 Penicillium species, P. aurantiogriseum, P. brevicompactum, P. citrinum, P. chrysogenum, P. expansum, P. glabrum, P. hirsutum, P. italicum, P. janthinellum, P. melini, P. oxalicum, P. purpurescens, P. simplicissimum, and P. viridicatum were investigated by total protein, specific enzyme determinations, isoelectric focusing (IEF), sodium dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting using pooled human atopic IgE. Considerable variation was observed between the Penicillium species with respect to protein yield and the number of distinct protein bands resolved in IEF. Using the Api-Zym system, the most common activities observed among the extracts included acid and alkaline phosphatase, phosphodiamidase and β-glucosaminidase. The number of discrete atopic IgE-reactive bands in immunoblots of Penicillium extracts ranged from 1 (P. chrysogenum) to 9 (P. viridicatum). Certain allergens showed potential for cross-reactivity between species, including 52 and 54 kDa proteins in P. citrinum, P. purpurescens, P. viridicatum and 40 kDa proteins in several species. The extracts were also nonmutagenic when tested with the Ames assay using Salmonella strains TA98 and TA100. The results tend to indicate that P. viridicatum, P. janthinellum, P. oxalicum, P. brevicompactum and P. italicum, which are highly immunogenic as well as allergenic, could possibly be good candidates for allergen cloning studies through the construction of cDNA libraries. The extracts were non-mutagenic and can be used safely for skin testing.*Presented in part at the 7th International meeting of Aerobiology, Montebello, August, 2002.