Plane trees are in the
Platanaceae family of plants which are exclusively plane trees. The London plane tree is commonly planted in the UK, but other species are found mostly in South America and the Southern United States.
Plane tree pollen has 7 identified allergens including a
Lipid Transfer Protein (LTP). These can cause serious allergic reactions in individuals sensitised to LTP.
They have also been shown to contain Polygalacturonase and
enolase proteins as allergens.
Plane pollen also contains
Profilin proteins, these are found in various foods and pollens.
Plane pollen is present in the UK in early Spring, peaking in April, it has high allergenicity. The small hairs on the fruit of the tree can induce asthma symptoms in those very allergic.
Other pollens which contain Lipid Transfer Proteins include wormwood and mugwort.
Foods verified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as containing LTPs include Kiwi, peanut, strawberry, sunflower seeds, walnut, apple, mulberry, banana, asparagus, pea, apricot, celery, lemon, chestnut, cabbage, cherry, mustard seeds, plum, tangerine, wheat, durum wheat, orange, almond, peach, corn, pear, pomegranate, raspberry, lettuce, green beans, lentils, lupin, hazelnuts, tomato and grape.
Other studies show that lipid transfer proteins have been food in onion, beetroot, broccoli, millet, grapefruit, quinces, figs, fennel, goji berry, parsnip, parsley, runner beans, butter beans, aubergine and blueberry.
Other pollens containing Polygalacturonase include cypress, cedar, oliveand various grasses. It is also found as a food allergen in papaya.
Enolase is found in pollen in various fungus, yeast, penicillin, ragweed, wormwood and some grasses. It is a food allergen in some species of fish and chicken.
Profilins are found in various pollens including pigweeds, ragweed, mugwort, sugar beet, birch trees, hemp, crocus, grass pollen, sunflower, olive, rice, plantain, poplar, mesquite, oak and maize. They are usually associated with food allergy and found in celery, peanut, soyabeans, walnut, lupin, almonds, mustard, hazelnut, kiwi, pineapple, chilli, melon, orange, strawberry, lychee, apple, banana, aubergine (eggplant), peach, pear, tomato, dates, cherry and carrot. Profilin proteins are also found in barley, sorghum and wheat.
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