GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The development of “Pollens Online” database is a part of HEC-NRPU Project titled “Strategic development of baseline protocols to predict climate change impacts on plants and prevalence of associated allergies” at Department of Biosciences, CUI-Islamabad campus. This database will be first data bank from Pakistan, thriving to lead as few databases of its kind in the globe studying intensity of climate change impacts and response magnitude of plant associated pollen allergies. The project is planned to study the distribution of naturally growing plants with possible allergenic potential and studying their pollen morphological changes with climate change (temperature & precipitation). The nature of pollen allergies associated with plants, for instance, asthma, rhinitis and skin and eye irritation will be investigated by molecular and chemical analysis of allergens using molecular techniques. Predictions will be made to evaluate the extent of invasiveness of species and the future impacts of climate change on plant distributions, their life cycles, and pollen production and dispersal, as well as their subsequent impacts on pollen concentrations and allergies. The research results/information will be updated in the database as required.
SALIENT FEATURES:
Climate change affects the onset pattern of season of pollen, duration, dispersion, quantity, and quality of plant-based allergens and the dispersal and harshness of allergic diseases. It may alter the nature of allergens of plant and may influence the secondary nature of allergic protein making it more invasive in case of weeds. Hence it is necessary to first evaluate the effect of climate on pollen production, morphology, and chemical characteristics and after that predicting its distribution and occurrence in time and space. Evidences of climate change are more obvious now than ever, and by each year it is accelerating. Asthma, rhinitis, nasal allergies, hay fever, eye irritation, throat infections sneezing these are all symptoms of having pollen allergies. In Pakistan, many species of allergenic pollens have been reported to be responsible. Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), Parthenium hysterophorus, Artemisia rupestris, and many grasses are known to be responsible for pollen allergenicity. Parthenium being an invasive species has become threat and pose a risk of invasiveness.
Pollen is small and low in weight that makes its dispersal in air easy and stay in air for a longer period. Presence of these small biological agents make their entry into respiratory system during the process of inhalation. Moreover, pollens come in contact with skin during pollen touching or presence in air. Exposure of pollen to mucosal lining in the respiratory system elicit immune responses that result in causing allergies. Climatic factors like precipitation, temperature, carbon and nitrogen emissions in the air give stress to plants. Plants and their pollens in respond to stress conditions become allergenic. The detailed mechanism of neutral plants becoming allergenic and rise in allergies in the last decade needs more research to investigate the problem and develop baseline protocols.
INPUT DATA AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE:
• Datasheet by identifying the evidence of allergenic plants
• Awareness data pool through evaluating the potential of allergenicity and risk man-environment relationship by survey analysis
• Key pathogen details after screening of bacterial strains identified through pollen extractions
• Data set of regional hotspots of allergies, prevalence studies, trends of increase or decrease in climate variables
• Updated documentation in decade-wise change in the climate variables and prevalence of allergenic disease
DATA INTEGRATION:
The Pollens online team is working on several aspects of rising awareness about pollen allergies in Pakistan. The potential allergenic plants species present in different regions of the country through literature search has been reviewed. Different plants cause different types of allergies. Moreover, investigation studies on pollens and pollens associated microbiome are in progress. In literature search it has been found that some bacterial species are involved in causing allergies are associated with pollens of allergenic plants. Allergenic bacteria release allergens and lipid mediators whose role is found in pollen allergies. The fungal spore’s presence on allergenic pollen and their involvement in immune system exacerbations is also being investigated. Pollens and its microbiome, and involvement of allergenic content found in pollens will be studied by using Insilco tools. This bridging of prediction strategies about climate change impacts in the region, to verifying the evidence through molecular analysis and developing and optimizing the protocols for upcoming challenges are the basic objectives of this data base.
CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS:
Climate change is adding to irreversible increase in temperature that cause change in weather and rain patterns. Changes in temperature and rainfall pattern increase pollen season and pollen production and dispersal. Additionally, increase in temperature gives stress to plants and in response to temperature and other plant growth related climatic factors, pollen-protein expression changes. Other climatic factors include high CO2 concentrations in air and particulate matter. Higher CO2 concentrations support plant and pollen growth causing change in pollen production and pollen proteins expression. Change in pollen proteins expression make them allergenic. For example, normal pollen protein of Acer nugundo have been found to become allergenic in in-vitro stress studies of gases and elevated temperature. Similarly, other plant species growth and pollen structure is affected by increase in temperature. Inhalation of pollens having allergenic proteins cause pollen allergy. Therefore, climate change is directly impacting plants/pollens and indirectly impacts human health. Since the previous few decades, an increase in pollen allergies have been observed throughout the world.