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Rye pollen was incubated for 30 min and proteins extracted at this time were collected as extract A (EA). The same pollen grains were resuspended in buffer and incubated for 18.5 h. Proteins extracted in this period were designated extract B (EB). Both extracts were subfractionated by DEAE ion-exchange chromatography and allergen presence in peaks detected by the dot-immunobinding technique. The results reveal that unretained proteins (peaks 1 and 2) and proteins eluted at 0.2 M NaCl from extract B contain the highest proportion of allergens. SDS-PAGE of chromatographic peaks showed that peak 2 from extract B contains a highly purified 28 kDa band. On the skin of allergic patients this band gave a stronger positive prick test than for the crude extract.

We have studied the proteins and allergens released by rye pollen in the course of a 19-h pollen incubation process. Nearly 40% of the total extracted proteins were collected during the first 5 min, and most of them had a molecular weight less than 28 kDa. Between 5 and 30 min, 15% of the proteins from total extract were released, showing in the SDS-PAGE analysis an increase in which components moved close to 30 kDa standard. From 30 min to 19 h several extracts were collected. Electrophoretical profile of components from these extracts reveals that bands moving below 28 kDa were practically absent and those of 28 and 23 kDa became very intense. At the end of the process there was a rise of 67 kDa proteins. Dot-immunobinding and immunoblotting techniques reveal that allergens leave the rye pollen, for the most part, after 5 min incubation and are proteins with 28 kDa, 33 kDa, 48 kDa and 67 kDa molecular weights.