The Protall Database

What is the database? 

This database contains biochemical and clinical information about plant food allergens involved in classical IgE-induced hypersensitivity reactions about 77 allergens from 48 plant species. There are many foods for which a case history of an allergic reaction has been reported for which the allergens responsible have not been described. These are not included in the database.

Who compiled the information? 

The information has been compiled by the following members of Protall: Rene Crevel (Unilever-SEAC, Colworth, UK), Rafael Monsalve (Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain), Rosa Sanchez-Monge (Universidad Politécnica, Madrid, Spain), Karin Hoffman-Sommergruber and Heimo Breiteneder (University of Vienna, Austria), Hub Noteborn and Ad Peijnenberg (RIKILT-DLO, Wageningen, The Netherlands), Jaap Akkerdaas (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Shmuel Yannai (Technion, Haifa, Israel), Arthur Tatham (Long Ashton Research Station, Bristol, UK), Elide Pastorello (Hospital Maggiore, Milan, Italy), Photini Papageorgiou (University of Athens, Greece).

This information has subsequently been edited by Clare Mills (co-ordinator), John Jenkins (IFR, Norwich, UK) and Charlotte Madsen (Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Søborg, Denmark). The IT expertise has been supplied by Andy Walker (IFR, Norwich, UK), assisted in the initial phases by Marcos Alcocer (University of Nottingham, UK).

Who is it for? 

The information in the database is understandable by a graduate level scientist or health professional, although anyone is free to search it. If you have a problem understanding some of the terms used in the database records there is a comprehensive glossary of words used in relation to allergy research at www.hon.ch/library/theme/allergy/glossary/allergy.html

Some definitions

What is an allergen? For the purposes of this database an allergen has been taken to be a protein towards which IgE binding has been demonstrated by immunoassay or immunoblotting. This is a broader definition than that applied by the Allergen Nomenclature Committee which gives an allergen their nomenclature only when demonstrated to have a prevalence of IgE reactivity above 5%. However, the protall database has adopted the committees stance regarding the terms "major" or "minor", these depending on whether more ("major") or less ("minor") than 50% of patients tested react with the corresponding allergen. The name given to an allergen by this committee is included in the database records, a comprehensive list being available at http://www.allergen.org/ 

Allergen sequences - There are two databases of allergen sequences, one edited by Steve Gendel at the USDA ( www.iit.edu/~sgendel/fa.htm ), which is being up-dated and is linked to the Expasy list of allergen sequences ( www.expasy.ch/cgi-bin/lists?allergen.txt ). Another very comprehensive allergen sequence database originally put together by Jim Astwood and others at Monsanto. The Protall database includes sequence accessions and links are provided to the relevant record on the Expasy site.

Allergen epitopes -the IgE-binding epitopes of only a few plant food allergens have been identified to date, which are included in the database entries. There is also a comprehensive database on allergen epitopes at http://www.csl.gov.uk/allergen/Index.htm.

Allergen molecular weight -Where allergen sequences are known the molecular weight of the mature protein has been calculated; however, as many allergens have only been identified on the basis of molecular weight from SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions

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