Allergenicity and immunogenicity of the major mugwort pollen allergen Art v 1 chemically modified by acetylation

Immunotherapy using algal-produced Ara h 1 core domain suppresses peanut allergy in mice

Peanut allergy is an IgE-mediated adverse reaction to a subset of proteins found in peanuts. Immunotherapy aims to desensitize allergic patients through repeated and escalating exposures for several months to years using extracts or flours. The complex mix of proteins and variability between preparations complicates immunotherapy studies. Moreover, peanut immunotherapy is associated with frequent negative side effects and patients are often at risk of allergic reactions once immunotherapy is discontinued. Allergen-specific approaches using recombinant proteins are an attractive alternative because they allow more precise dosing and the opportunity to engineer proteins with improved safety profiles. We tested whether Ara h 1 and Ara h 2, two major peanut allergens, could be produced using chloroplast of the unicellular eukaryotic alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. C. reinhardtii is novel host for producing allergens that is genetically tractable, inexpensive and easy to grow, and is able to produce more complex proteins than bacterial hosts. Compared to the native proteins, algal-produced Ara h 1 core domain and Ara h 2 have a reduced affinity for IgE from peanut-allergic patients. We further found that immunotherapy using algal-produced Ara h 1 core domain confers protection from peanut-induced anaphylaxis in a murine model of peanut allergy.

Hypoallergenic acid-sensitive modification preserves major mugwort allergen fold and delivers full repertoire of MHC class II-binding peptides during endolysosomal degradation

Hypoallergenic acid-sensitive modification preserves major mugwort pollen allergen fold and delivers a full repertoire of MHC class II-binding peptides during endolysosomal degradation.

Specific IgE measurement using AdvanSure® system: comparison of detection performance with ImmunoCAP® system in Korean allergy patients

BACKGROUND

AdvanSure enzyme immunoassay (EIA) system is a recently developed multiple allergen screen test with specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) detection assay, while ImmunoCAP fluorescent EIA (FEIA) has been widely used for sIgE detection. There has been no inter-assay comparison data for these two systems. We determined the detection performance of AdvanSure system compared to that of ImmunoCAP.

METHODS

We performed an inter-method comparison using sera from 199 Korean allergy patients, including asthma (39.7%), allergic rhinitis (54.8%), atopic dermatitis (36.2%) and food allergies (21.6%). We compared the sIgE detection performance for nine major inhalant and four food allergens.

RESULTS

950 paired assay results were analyzed. Most allergen sIgE results showed above 0.5 intraclass correlation coefficient except Blattella germanica, alternaria and mugwort allergen. Intermethod comparison results showed multiple differences in a few allergens. The inter-method concordance was moderate to substantial for most allergens (κ=0.528-0.778, p<0.001), except for cat dander.

CONCLUSION

AdvanSure system showed a good detection performance compared with ImmunoCAP in correlation and agreement in Korean allergy patients. However, in terms of differences in the methodologies used by these two systems, careful clinical correlation is needed for interpretation of AdvanSure EIA results.

Developments in the field of allergy in 2009 through the eyes of Clinical and Experimental Allergy

In 2009 the journal published in the region of 200 papers including reviews, editorials, opinion pieces and original papers that ran the full gamut of allergic disease. It is instructive to take stock of this output to determine patterns of interest and where the cutting edge lies. We have surveyed the field of allergic disease as seen through the pages of Clinical and Experimental Allergy (CEA) highlighting trends, emphasizing notable observations and placing discoveries in the context of other key papers published during the year. The review is divided into similar sections as the journal. In the field of Asthma and Rhinitis CEA has contributed significantly to the debate about asthma phenotypes and expressed opinions about the cause of intrinsic asthma. It has also added its halfpennyworth to the hunt for meaningful biomarkers. In Mechanisms the considerable interest in T cell subsets including Th17 and T regulatory cells continues apace and the discipline of Epidemiology continues to invoke a steady stream of papers on risk factors for asthma with investigators still trying to explain the post-second world war epidemic of allergic disease. Experimental Models continue to make important contributions to our understanding of pathogenesis of allergic disease and in the Clinical Allergy section various angles on immunotherapy are explored. New allergens continue to be described in the allergens section to make those allergen chips even more complicated. A rich and vibrant year helpfully summarized by some of our associate editors.

Synthesis, characterization and antitumor activity of Cu(II), Co(II), Zn(II) and Mn(II) complex compounds with aminothiazole acetate derivative

This paper presents the synthesis of complex compounds of type [M(L1)2], where M(II)= Cu (1), Co (2), Zn (3), L1=2-aminothiazole-4-acetate and [Mn(L1)2(H2O)] (4) using ethyl 2-(2-aminothiazole-4-yl) acetate (L), and characterization by elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibilities, IR, 1H-NMR, UV-Vis spectroscopy and for [Mn(L1)2(H2O)] also by X-ray diffraction. In vitro cytotoxicity studies were performed on human cervix adenocarcinoma, HeLa cells. The antitumor selectivity was assessed using normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PBMC as control.