**5. Conclusion**

This study highlights and support a previous work developed by the same group (Jimenez-Lopez 2008; Jimenez-Lopez et al. 2012) about multi-functionality and regulatory importance evolved from sequence polymorphism of pollen profilins, as a potential mechanism to generate multiple profilin isovariants in a wide genetic (germplasm) background of particular plant species like olive.

This polymorphism in profilin isovariants is reflected in the differential immune-reactivity exhibited by different cultivars to antibodies generated against vegetative and reproductive profilins, in addition to differential subcellular location in pollen grains and germinated pollen tubes. Both characteristics lead to strongly propose that functional differences among profilin isoforms, as well as regulatory pathways throughout profilin-ligand binding properties, could have a direct influence in the subcellular location and actin cytosqueleton dynamics as direct consequence of polymorphism. Furthermore, this variability reflected in the epitopes generation in panallergen like Ole e 2, has extreme importance in the standardization of formulations for allergy diagnosis in clinical trials and tailoredimmunotherapy development.

### **Author details**

Jose C. Jimenez-Lopez, Sonia Morales, Juan D. Alché and María I. Rodriguez-Garcia *Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Granada, Spain* 

Dieter Volkmann *Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany (IZMB), Department of Plant Cell Biology, University of Bonn, Germany* 

## **Acknowledgement**

This study was supported by the following European Regional Development Fund cofinanced grants: MCINN BFU 2004-00601/BFI, BFU 2008-00629, BFU2011-22779, CICE (Junta de Andalucía) P2010-CVI15767, P2010-AGR6274, P2011-CVI-7487, P2011-CVI-7487, and by the coordinated project Spain/Germany MEC HA2004-0094.

The funders had no role in the study, design or decision to publish.

#### **6. References**

96 Current Insights in Pollen Allergens

**5. Conclusion** 

particular plant species like olive.

immunotherapy development.

Jose C. Jimenez-Lopez, Sonia Morales, Juan D. Alché and María I. Rodriguez-Garcia

*Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology of Plants,* 

**Author details** 

Dieter Volkmann

*University of Bonn, Germany* 

**Acknowledgement** 

unless a careful selection of the panel of recombinant allergens for immunotherapy is made. This strategy can be incorporated into virtually all new vaccines currently under development to improve the diagnosis and therapy, and to include the hybrid or modified molecules, allergen fragments, multimers, or the design of hypoallergenic proteins. For instance, a detailed reactivity analysis of isoforms present in particular cultivars, combined with protein sequence analysis, could aid the design of hypoallergenic proteins, which might complement the strategies currently in use (Marazuela et al. 2007). Besides a thorough investigation of the allergenic isoforms of the germplasm species could also help identifying

This study highlights and support a previous work developed by the same group (Jimenez-Lopez 2008; Jimenez-Lopez et al. 2012) about multi-functionality and regulatory importance evolved from sequence polymorphism of pollen profilins, as a potential mechanism to generate multiple profilin isovariants in a wide genetic (germplasm) background of

This polymorphism in profilin isovariants is reflected in the differential immune-reactivity exhibited by different cultivars to antibodies generated against vegetative and reproductive profilins, in addition to differential subcellular location in pollen grains and germinated pollen tubes. Both characteristics lead to strongly propose that functional differences among profilin isoforms, as well as regulatory pathways throughout profilin-ligand binding properties, could have a direct influence in the subcellular location and actin cytosqueleton dynamics as direct consequence of polymorphism. Furthermore, this variability reflected in the epitopes generation in panallergen like Ole e 2, has extreme importance in the standardization of formulations for allergy diagnosis in clinical trials and tailored-

*Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Granada, Spain* 

This study was supported by the following European Regional Development Fund cofinanced grants: MCINN BFU 2004-00601/BFI, BFU 2008-00629, BFU2011-22779, CICE (Junta

*Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany (IZMB), Department of Plant Cell Biology,* 

natural hypoallergenic profilin isoforms in some cultivars of olive.


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**Chapter 6** 

© 2012 Tanaka, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,

distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2012 Tanaka, licensee InTech. This is a paper distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

**Efficacy of Flavonoids for Patients with** 

The worldwide prevalence of allergic diseases such as asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis has increased during the last two decades (Holgate, 1999; Eder et al., 2006). Allergic rhinitis now affects 400-500 million people worldwide (Greiner et al., 2011; Ozdoganoglu & Songu, 2012) and adversely affects social life, school performance, and work productivity (Bousquet et al., 2001). The first case of Japanese cedar pollinosis in Japan was reported in the mid-1960s (Horiguchi & Saito, 1964), but now half of the Japanese population have become sensitized to Japanese cedar pollens and 24-29% of the population is suffering from the disease (Kaneko et al., 2005), so that Japanese cedar pollinosis is now rated as one of the most common diseases in Japan (Okamoto et al., 2009). The complicated interaction between genetic and environmental factors is thought to cause the development of allergic diseases. Many genetic loci related to atopy, a genetic tendency to produce immunoglobulin E (IgE) in response to environmental allergens, have been identified through genome-wide association studies (Grammatikos, 2008). However, changes in the environment have made a more significant contribution than genetic factors to the recent increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases (Nolte et al., 2001; Ho, 2010), since it seems unlikely that genes would have changed during the last two decades. Dietary change has been proposed as one of the environmental factors responsible for the increasing prevalence or the worsening symptoms of allergic diseases (Devereux & Seaton, 2005; Devereux, 2006; Kozyrskyj et al., 2011; Nurmatov et al., 2011; Allan & Devereux, 2011). Indeed foods include both allergypromoting and anti-allergic nutrients (McKeever & Britton, 2004), and flavonoids, which are plant secondary metabolites, can have powerful antioxidant, anti-allergic and immunemodulating effects (Hollman & Katan, 1999; Middleton et al., 2000; Manach et al., 2004). This review article introduces the anti-allergic properties and efficacy of flavonoids for patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis and discusses the possibility that an appropriate intake of

**Japanese Cedar Pollinosis** 

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Toshio Tanaka

**1. Introduction** 

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/45882
