Preventive Administration of Non-Allergenic Bet v 1 Peptides Reduces Allergic Sensitization to Major Birch Pollen Allergen, Bet v 1

Abstract

IgE-mediated allergy to birch pollen affects more than 100 million patients world-wide. Bet v 1, a 17 kDa protein is the major allergen in birch pollen responsible for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma in birch pollen allergic patients. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) based on therapeutic administration of Bet v 1-containing vaccines is an effective treatment for birch pollen allergy but no allergen-specific forms of prevention are available. We developed a mouse model for IgE sensitization to Bet v 1 based on subcutaneous injection of aluminum-hydroxide adsorbed recombinant Bet v 1 and performed a detailed characterization of the specificities of the IgE, IgG and CD4+ T cell responses in sensitized mice using seven synthetic peptides of 31-42 amino acids length which comprised the Bet v 1 sequence and the epitopes recognized by human CD4+ T cells. We then d.emonstrate that preventive systemic administration of a mix of synthetic non-allergenic Bet v 1 peptides to 3-4 week old mice significantly reduced allergic immune responses, including IgE, IgG, IgE-mediated basophil activation, CD4+ T cell and IL-4 responses to the complete Bet v 1 allergen but not to the unrelated major grass pollen allergen Phl p 5, without inducing Bet v 1-specific allergic sensitization or adaptive immunity. Our results thus demonstrate that early preventive administration of non-allergenic synthetic T cell epitope-containing allergen peptides could be a safe strategy for the prevention of allergen-specific IgE sensitization.

Immunoglobulin E Epitope Mapping and Structure–Allergenicity Relationship Analysis of Crab Allergen Scy p 9

“…Allergen cross-linking at least two antibodies coupled with high-affinity receptors on effector cell (such as mast cell and basophils) before sensitization could cause allergic reaction and subsequent inflammation. 20 Therefore, epitopes were crucial in causing allergic reaction. 36 In this study, six conformational epitope regions were predicted using bioinformatics software.…”

“…Immunoglobulin (Ig) E epitopes are the amino acid sequences of allergens that determine the specificity of antigens . They are generally located on the surface of antigen molecules to facilitate direct contact with antibodies or cell surface receptors .…”

“…Immunoglobulin (Ig) E epitopes are the amino acid sequences of allergens that determine the specificity of antigens. 20 They are generally located on the surface of antigen molecules to facilitate direct contact with antibodies or cell surface receptors. 21 The study of allergen IgE epitopes would not only help to enrich the comprehensive understanding of allergens but also help to diagnose and treat food allergy in the clinical environment.…”

Vaccine Based on Recombinant Fusion Protein Combining Hepatitis B Virus PreS with SARS-CoV-2 Wild-Type- and Omicron-Derived Receptor Binding Domain Strongly Induces Omicron-Neutralizing Antibodies in a Murine Model

“…The spleens of immunized mice were removed under aseptic conditions six weeks after the third immunization ( Figure 2 ), and the splenocytes were isolated and stimulated with 5 µg/mL RBD-hu-1, RBD-Omicron BA.1 or medium for 5 days as previously described [ 29 ]. Thereafter, supernatants were analyzed regarding their specific mouse IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12(p70), GM-CSF, IFN-γ and TNF-α concentrations with the Bio-Plex Pro Mouse Cytokine Th1/Th2 panel (Bio-Rad Laboratories, CA, USA) following the manufacturer’s instructions.…”

Natural human Bet v 1‐specific IgG antibodies recognize non‐conformational epitopes whereas IgE reacts with conformational epitopes

“…Bet v 1, Mal d 1, the seven Bet v 1‐derived peptides, Bet v 1 p1–p7 31 and the corresponding seven Mal d 1‐derived peptides, Mal d 1 p1–p7 were spotted onto a glass slide in triplicates as described 32 . Specific IgE levels and IgG levels were measured using fluorescence‐labelled anti‐human IgE or IgG antibodies conjugated with fluorophore (DyLight™ 550‐2xPEG NHS Ester) for 30 min at RT 32,33 .…”