Wheat can cause severe IgE-mediated systematic reactions, but knowledge on relevant wheatallergens at the molecular level is scanty. The aim of the present study was to achieve a more detailedand comprehensive characterization of the wheat allergens involved in food allergy to wheat usingproteomic strategies, referred to as "allergenomics". Whole flour proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with isoelectric focusing and lithium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamidegel electrophoresis. Then, IgE-binding proteins were detected by immunoblotting with sera of patientswith a food allergy to wheat. After tryptic digestion, the peptides of IgE-binding proteins were analyzedby matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In this study,we identified four previously reported wheat allergens or their sequentially homologous proteins [serpin,
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-amylase inhibitor,
![](/images/gifchars/gamma.gif)
-gliadin, and low molecular weight (LMW) glutenin] by a database search. Asa result of the high resolution of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, nine subunits of LMW gluteninswere identified as the most predominant IgE-binding antigens. The two-dimensional allergen mapcan be beneficial in many ways. It could be used, for example, for precise diagnosis of wheat-allergicpatients and assessment of wheat allergens in food. Additionally, we compared allergenomics toconventional biochemical methods and evaluated the usefulness of a proteomic strategy for identifyingputative allergens to wheat allergy.