Glycoform of a newly identified pollen allergen, Cha o 3, from Chamaecyparis obtusa (Japanese cypress, Hinoki).

Cha o 3 is a newly found glycosylated allergen from Chamaecyparis obtusa (Japanese cypress) pollen. The deduced amino acid sequence of Cha o 3 indicates that this glycoallergen contains a cellulase domain and a number of putative N-glycosylation sites. However, the structures of N -glycans linked to Cha o 3 remain to be determined. In this study, therefore, we analyzed the glycoform of Cha o 3 and found that this glycoallergen carries exclusively plant complex-type N-glycans; major structures were GlcNAcManXylFucGlcNAc (39%), GalFucGlcNAcManXylFucGlcNAc2 (14%), and GalFucGlcNAcManXylFucGlcNAc (25%). The glycoform of Cha o 3 bearing the Le epitope is similar to those of Cry j1, Jun a 1, or Cup a 1, major glycoallergens in cedar or cypress pollens, and the predominant occurrence of GlcNAcManXylFucGlcNAc is a common structural feature of glycoallergens from Cupressaceae pollens.