A prosposed mechanism for the inactivation of atopic allergens in dilute solution

Abstract

A study has been made of the ultra-violet absorption spectra of purified atopic allergens at pH 2 and pH 12. The colour change of atopen solutions from deep brown in alakali to light brown or yellow in acid is reflected in the spectra by considerably higher extinction coefficients in alkali. By including native proteins and synthetic protein-sugar model compounds it proved possible to locate the specific diferences between the spectra of the allergens in acid and alkali at wavelenghts over 325 mμ, i.e. in the near ultra-violet and in the visible region. It is suggested that the chemical shifts in the system: Nε-[1-deoxyglycosulosyl-(1)]-lysine residue and its 1·2- abd 2·3-enolic tautomers are responsible for the colour-change phenomenon.

The incorporation of these 1-amino-1-deoxy-2-ketose derivatives, especially of the 2·3-enediol form, together with their pathways of degradation on dilute solution and extreme pH-values, provides a plauside explanation for the inactivation of solutions of atopic allergens.