Quantcast
Skip to main content
Environmental Health Perspectives
About EHP Publications Past Issues News By Topic Authors Subscribe Press International
Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) is a monthly journal of peer-reviewed research and news on the impact of the environment on human health. EHP is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and its content is free online. Print issues are available by paid subscription.DISCLAIMER
spacer
NIEHS
NIH
DHHS
spacer
EHP Science Education Website

EHP on Twitter

Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD)

spacer
Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 111, Number 2, February 2003 Open Access
spacer
Identification of Antigenic Epitopes on Human Allergens: Studies with HLA Transgenic Mice

Svetlana P. Chapoval and Chella S. David

Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

Abstract

Environmental factors play an important role in the rise and manifestation of allergic conditions in genetically predisposed subjects. Increased exposure to indoor/outdoor allergens is a significant factor in the development of allergic sensitization and asthma. Recently, strong relationships between the immune response to several highly purified allergens and specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -DQ and -DR haplotypes have been reported. The major antigens from clinically important allergens have been cloned and sequenced. However, whether innate structural features of major allergens or peculiar immune recognition of these molecules contribute to the overly robust immune responses is not known. We generated and used transgenic (tg) mice expressing single HLA class II transgene(s) to characterize the allergen epitopes presented by particular HLA class II molecules. Next, we generated in vivo models for asthma in the HLA tg mice by intranasal challenge with allergenic extracts. Furthermore, we used a single epitope to induce an allergic lung inflammation. Our system offers a sophisticated technique for systematically identifying the genetic (individual human class II) and antigenic (individual allergenic epitopes) basis of asthma sensitivity and has important implications for new treatment strategies. Keywords: antigens/peptides/epitopes, asthma, HLA, in vivo animal model, MHC, short ragweed allergen, transgenic/knockout. Environ Health Perspect 111:245-250 (2003) . doi:10.1289/ehp.5706 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 21 January 2003]

spacer
spacer
 
Open Access USA.gov

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files located on this site.