IgE Sensitization to the Nonspecific Lipid-Transfer Protein Ara h 9 and Peanut-Associated Bronchospasm

Allergen component analysis is now available in many laboratories. The aim of this study was to examine the possible association between peanut allergen IgE components and severity of clinical reactions in patients with a history of peanut allergy. Data and sera collected from 192 patients within the Manchester Allergy Research Database and Serum Bank were used in this retrospective study. Sensitization to peanut specific IgE and Ara h 1, 2, 3, and 8 peanut IgE components, as measured by fluoroenzyme immunoassay, was not associated with anaphylaxis. In contrast, sensitization to the lipid-transfer protein Ara h 9 was significantly more prevalent in patients with peanut-associated bronchospasm (26% versus 9% of patients), even after adjusting for potential confounding effects of age, gender, and severity of concomitant chronic atopic diseases. Patients who were sensitized to Ara h 9 were more likely to have ingested rather than just have had skin contact with peanut and have a more rapid onset of symptoms. These results are consistent with observations that sensitization to heat and protease resistant lipid-transfer protein components of hazelnut, grains, and fruit is predictive of anaphylaxis

The Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder (EOS MLS) on the Aura Satellite

The Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder measures several atmospheric chemical species (OH, HO2, H2O, O3, HCl, ClO, HOCl, BrO, HNO3, N2O, CO, HCN, CH3CN, volcanic SO2), cloud ice, temperature, and geopotential height to improve our understanding of stratospheric ozone chemistry, the interaction of composition and climate, and pollution in the upper troposphere. All measurements are made simultaneously and continuously, during both day and night. The instrument uses heterodyne radiometers that observe thermal emission from the atmospheric limb in broad spectral regions centered near 118, 190, 240, and 640 GHz, and 2.5 THz. It was launched July 15, 2004 on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Aura satellite and started full-up science operations on August 13, 2004. An atmospheric limb scan and radiometric calibration for all bands are performed routinely every 25 s. Vertical profiles are retrieved every 165 km along the suborbital track, covering 82 S to 82 N latitudes on each orbit. Instrument performance to date has been excellent; data have been made publicly available; and initial science results have been obtained

Analysis of the bread wheat genome using whole-genome shotgun sequencing

Citation: Brenchley, R., Spannagl, M., Pfeifer, M., . . . & Hall, N. (2012). Analysis of the bread wheat genome using whole-genome shotgun sequencing. Nature, 491(1), 705-709. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11650Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a globally important crop, accounting for 20 per cent of the calories consumed by humans. Major efforts are underway worldwide to increase wheat production by extending genetic diversity and analysing key traits, and genomic resources can accelerate progress. But so far the very large size and polyploid complexity of the bread wheat genome have been substantial barriers to genome analysis. Here we report the sequencing of its large, 17-gigabase-pair, hexaploid genome using 454 pyrosequencing, and comparison of this with the sequences of diploid ancestral and progenitor genomes. We identified between 94,000 and 96,000 genes, and assigned two-thirds to the three component genomes (A, B and D) of hexaploid wheat. High-resolution synteny maps identified many small disruptions to conserved gene order. We show that the hexaploid genome is highly dynamic, with significant loss of gene family members on polyploidization and domestication, and an abundance of gene fragments. Several classes of genes involved in energy harvesting, metabolism and growth are among expanded gene families that could be associated with crop productivity. Our analyses, coupled with the identification of extensive genetic variation, provide a resource for accelerating gene discovery and improving this major crop

IgE-mediated food allergy diagnosis: Current status and new perspectives

In June 2005, the work of the EU Integrated Project EuroPrevall was started. EuroPrevall is the largest research project on food allergy ever performed in Europe. Major aims of the project are to generate for the first time reliable data on the prevalence of food allergies across Europe and on the natural course of food allergy development in infants. Improvement of in vitro diagnosis of food allergies is another important aim of the project. The present review summarizes current knowledge about the clinical presentation of food allergy and critically reviews available diagnostic tools at the beginning of the project period. A major problem in diagnosis is a relatively poor 'clinical specificity', i. e. both positive skin tests and in vitro tests for specific IgE are frequent in sensitized subjects without food allergy symptoms. So far, no in vitro test reliably predicts clinical food allergy. EuroPrevall aims at improving the predictive value of such tests by proceeding from diagnosis based on allergen extracts to purified allergen molecules, taking into account the affinity of the IgE-allergen interaction, and evaluating the potential of biological in vitro tests such as histamine release tests or basophil activation tests including assays performed with permanently growing cell line