Antigen of allergy and epitope thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides novel antigens of an allergy to egg, methods and kits for diagnosing an allergy to egg, pharmaceutical compositions comprising such an antigen, eggs or processed products of egg in which such an antigen is eliminated or reduced, birds that deliver such eggs or are born from such eggs, a method for producing processed products of egg in which such an antigen is eliminated or reduced, and a tester for determining the presence or absence of an egg antigen in an object of interest. The present invention also relates to polypeptides comprising an epitope of an antigen, kits, compositions and methods for diagnosing an allergy, comprising such a polypeptide, pharmaceutical compositions comprising such a polypeptide, and raw materials or processed products in which an antigen comprising such a polypeptide is eliminated or reduced. The present invention further relates to a tester for determining the presence or absence of an antigen in an object of interest.

1 . A polypeptide specifically binding to an IgE antibody from an allergic patient, the polypeptide being any one of the following:
 (1β) a polypeptide comprising at least one amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 272-295 and 319-525;   (2β) a polypeptide comprising at least one amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 296-303 and 526-552;   (3β) a polypeptide comprising at least one amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 304-311 and 553-625; and   (4β) a polypeptide comprising at least one amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 312-318 and 626-682.   
     
     
         2 . The polypeptide according to  claim 1 , wherein the number of amino acid residues is 500 or less. 
     
     
         3 . A kit for diagnosing an allergy, comprising at least one of polypeptides according to  claim 1  or  2 . 
     
     
         4 . A composition for diagnosing an allergy, the composition comprising at least one of polypeptides according to  claim 1  or  2  as an antigen. 
     
     
         5 . A method for providing an indicator for diagnosing an allergy in a subject, the method comprising the steps of:
 (i) contacting a sample obtained from the subject with an antigen, wherein the sample is a solution comprising an IgE antibody;   (ii) detecting binding between the IgE antibody present in the sample obtained from the subject and the antigen; and   (iii) when the binding between the IgE antibody in the subject and the antigen is detected, an indicator of the fact that the subject is allergic is provided;   wherein the antigen is at least one of polypeptides according to  claim 1  or  2 .   
     
     
         6 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one of polypeptides according to  claim 1  or  2 . 
     
     
         7 . The pharmaceutical composition according to  claim 6 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is intended for the treatment of an allergy. 
     
     
         8 . A tester for determining the presence or absence of an antigen in an object of interest, the tester comprising an antibody that binds to at least one of polypeptides according to  claim 1  or  2 . 
     
     
         9 . A tester for determining the presence or absence of an antigen in an object of interest, the tester comprising any of the following primers:
 (a) a primer comprising a portion of the nucleotide sequence of a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide according to  claim 1  or  2 , and/or a complementary strand thereof; and   (b) a primer which is a portion of at least one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 46, 58, 105, 151, 236, 250 and 261 and/or a primer which is a portion of a sequence complementary to at least one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 46, 58, 105, 151, 236, 250 and 261.   
     
     
         10 . A raw material or a processed product in which an antigen is eliminated or reduced, wherein the antigen is at least one of polypeptides according to  claim 1  or  2 . 
     
     
         11 . A method for producing a processed product in which an antigen is eliminated or reduced, the method comprising the step of confirming that the antigen is eliminated or reduced in a production process of the processed product, wherein the antigen is at least one of polypeptides according to  claim 1  or  2 .