title: Intranasal tolerance induction with polypeptides derived from 3 noncross-reactive major aeroallergens prevents allergic polysensitization in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Specific immunotherapy is less effective in patients with multiple allergic sensitizations compared with monosensitized patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We therefore established a mouse model of polysensitization to the major birch and timothy grass pollen allergens to test whether allergic polysensitization can be prevented by multiple allergen application via the mucosal route.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female BALB/c mice were immunized intraperitoneally with recombinant (r) Bet v 1, rPhl p 1, and rPhl p 5. For intranasal tolerance induction, a mixture of the complete allergens was compared with allergen-derived immunodominant peptides applied either as a mixture or as a synthetic hybrid peptide composed of the T-cell epitopes of the 3 allergens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intranasal application of the mixture of the complete allergen molecules did not prevent polysensitization to the same allergens. In contrast, pretreatment with a mixture of the immunodominant peptides or the hybrid peptide led to significantly reduced allergen-specific IgE responses in sera, IL-4 production in vitro, and suppressed airway inflammation. TGF-beta mRNA levels did not change, and IL-10 production was significantly suppressed after the pretreatment. The fact that the reduction of IL-10 was not abrogated after IL-10 receptor neutralization and that tolerance was not transferable with splenocytes indicates that the suppression of T(H)2 responses in polysensitized mice might not be mediated by immunosuppressive cytokines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrates that it is possible to suppress allergic immune responses simultaneously to several clinical important allergens. Thus, mucosal coapplication of selected peptides/hybrid peptides could be the basis of a mucosal polyvalent vaccine to prevent multiple sensitivities in atopic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hufnagl
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: Margit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Focke
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valenta
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Scheiner
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Renz
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wiedermann
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D052179:Antigens, Plant; D003429:Cross Reactions; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D005260:Female; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000628:therapy*; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007114:Immunization; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D052179:Antigens, Plant; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D010455:Peptides; C076049:Phl p V protein, Phleum pratense; D010940:Plant Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; C061312:Bet v 1 allergen, Betula; D016753:Interleukin-10