Design and cloning strategies of recombinant allergens for diagnosis and specific immunotherapy

Abstract

Persons suffering from allergy (Type I hypersensitivity) produce immunoglobulin E against innocuous environmental antigens such as pollen, house dust, animal dander, food proteins. Diagnosis of allergy is based on the measurement of allergen-specific IgE antibodies and on provocation with allergens in skin prick test. Diagnostic reagents based on allergen extracts obtained from natural biological material often reveal unbalanced allergen content, a presence of nonallergenic components, and are difficult to standardize. Replacement of allergen extracts with a set of individual allergens in component-resolved diagnostics is regarded as a tool for patient selection for specific immunotherapy. The concept of using single recombinant allergens to determine the patient's sensitization profile was coined "component-resolved diagnosis" and is regarded as a precondition for patient-tailored immunotherapy, i.e.,"component resolved immunotherapy"To provide reliable, more specific reagents for allergy diagnosis and therapy recombinant DNA technology has been widely applied. The majority of recombinant allergens by far, have been produced in the prokaryotic expression system; however eukaryotic cells (yeast, plant, insect and mammalian cells) were also exploited. To avoid side effects in the course of immunotherapy various approaches in design of hypoallergenic molecules have been performed. This chapter will give an overview of the concepts and approaches in producing recombinant allergens for component resolved diagnosis and component resolved immunotherapy. © 2014 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.