Keywords:Lipid transfer protein T-cell epitope Peptide immunotherapy
Plant food allergy
Peach
Pru p3Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs), particularly peach Pru p 3, are the most relevant plant food allergens in the South of Europe, and, therefore, their allergic properties have been extensively studied. However, neither T-cell epitopes nor their effect on the patients' T-cell response has been investigated in any member of the LTP panallergen family. The objective of the present study was to map the major T-cell epitopes of Pru p 3, as well as to evaluate their induced T-cell response in peach-allergic versus control subjects. Thus, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 18 peach-allergic patients and Pru p 3-specific T-cell lines (TCLs) from 9 of them were cultured with Pru p 3 and with a panel of 17 derived peptides (10-mer overlapping in 5 amino acids representing the full sequence of Pru p 3). Proliferation in 5-day assays was carried out via tritiated-thymidine incorporation, while IL4 and IFN7 production was assessed via sandwich enzymelinked immunosorbent tests (ELISA) of TCL culture supernatants. The results were compared to those obtained from 10 non-peach allergic control volunteers. Two consecutive peptides showed the highest activation capacity. About 74% of PBMCs and TCLs recognized them, forming a single T-epitope: Pru p 365-80-Additionally, other specific T-cell epitopes were observed. Pru p 3 2 s-35 was detected by more than 60% of TCLs from peach-allergic patients, and Pru p 345-55 only activated PBMCs from control subjects. Interestingly, TCLs from patients were associated with a Th2-type, whereas control TCLs presented a Thltype cytokine response. The major immunogenic T-cell epitope identified in Pru p 3, Pru p 365-so, is a good candidate to develop new vaccines for hypersensitivity reactions associated with LTP allergens from Rosaceae fruits.