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Allergenicity and immunogenicity of the major mugwort pollen allergen Art v 1 chemically modified by acetylation
Author(s) -
Perovic I.,
Milovanovic M.,
Stanic D.,
Burazer L.,
Petrovic D.,
MilcicMatic N.,
Gafvelin G.,
Van Hage M.,
Jankov R.,
Velickovic T. Cirkovic
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2008.03158.x
Subject(s) - mugwort , allergen , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , immunology , allergy , immunoglobulin e , basophil activation , basophil , immunogenicity , antibody , medicine , in vitro , chemistry , biochemistry , pathology , alternative medicine
Summary Background Treating allergies with modified allergens is an approach to make the treatment safer and more efficient. Art v 1 is the most prominent allergen of mugwort pollen and a significant cause of hayfever around Europe. The aim of this study was to reduce the allergenicity of Art v 1 by acetylation, and to investigate the capacity of the modified protein to generate blocking antibodies. Methods The reduction of allergenicity of Art v 1 following acetylation was monitored by immunoblot, ELISA inhibition using a pool of sera from mugwort pollen allergic patients, basophil activation assay and by skin prick testing of mugwort‐allergic patients. Rabbits were immunized against Art v 1 and acetylated Art v 1 (acArt v 1) and the rabbit antisera were tested for their capacity to block human IgE binding in ELISA. Human T cell proliferation against Art v 1 and acArt v 1 was examined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of mugwort pollen allergic patients and cytokine release in PBMC cultures was monitored. Results Acetylation of Art v 1 gave a derivative of reduced allergenicity in the in vitro and ex vivo tests applied. The skin test reactivity to acArt v 1 was significantly reduced in 19 patients when compared with the reactivity to Art v 1. Rabbit antibodies to acArt v 1 and Art v 1 showed similar capacity to block human IgE binding to Art v 1 in inhibition ELISA. Both proteins were able to induce proliferation of PBMCs and CD3/CD4 + cells of mugwort‐allergic patients. Release of IL‐5 was significantly reduced in cultures stimulated with acArt v 1. Conclusions Art v 1 modified by acetylation had a significantly reduced allergenicity in vitro and in vivo , while its immunogenicity was retained. Modification of allergens by acetylation could be a new strategy for allergen‐specific immunotherapy.