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Genetic engineering of a hypoallergenic trimer of the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1
Author(s) -
Vrtala, Susanne,
Hirtenlehner Kora,
Susani Markus,
Akdis Mübeccel,
Kussebi Fatimah,
Akdis Cezmi A.,
Blaser Kurt,
Hufnagl Peter,
Binder Bernd R.,
Politou, Anastasia,
Pastore Annalisa,
Vangelista Luca,
Sperr Wolfgang R.,
Semper Hans,
Valent Peter,
Ebner Christof,
Kraft Dietrich,
Valenta Rudolf
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fj.00-0767fje
Subject(s) - hypoallergenic , allergen , immunogen , trimer , allergy , immunology , immunoglobulin e , pollen , recombinant dna , chemistry , antibody , medicine , biology , biochemistry , monoclonal antibody , gene , botany , dimer , organic chemistry
An estimated 100 million individuals suffer from birch pollen allergy. Specific immunotherapy, the only curative allergy treatment, can cause life‐threatening anaphylactic side effects. Here, we report the genetic engineering of a recombinant trimer consisting of three covalently linked copies of the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1. The trimer exhibited profoundly reduced allergenic activity but contained similar secondary structures such as Bet v 1 wild type, Bet v 1‐specific B cell and T‐cell epitopes, and induced Th1 cytokine release. As immunogen, rBet v 1 trimer induced IgG antibodies, which blocked patients’ IgE binding to Bet v 1 and related allergens. Thus, rBet v 1 trimer represents a novel hypoallergenic vaccine prototype for treatment of one of the most frequent allergy forms.