title: From allergen structure to new forms of allergen-specific immunotherapy.
abstract: During the past decade, genetic information for most of the common allergens has been obtained. Using these genetic blueprints it has become possible to reconstruct, by recombinant DNA technology, almost complete repertoires of the relevant allergens and their epitopes. Recombinant allergens with the allergenic features of naturally occurring allergens have promoted allergy research and form the basis of new multiallergen tests for refined allergy diagnosis. Allergen derivatives with reduced allergenic activity have also been produced by recombinant DNA technology to increase safety and specificity of allergen-specific immunotherapy. These derivatives can be engineered to contain relevant T cell epitopes and to maintain those sequence motifs which are required for inducing protective antibody responses and therefore hold great promise for improving allergen-specific immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, University of Vienna Medical School, Vienna General Hospital, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090, Vienna, Austria. Rudolf.Valenta@akh-wien.ac.at
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valenta
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kraft
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D007167:Immunotherapy; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit