Development of transgenic rice seed accumulating a major Japanese cedar pollen allergen (Cry j 1) structurally disrupted for oral immunotherapy.
Rice seed-based edible vaccines expressing T-cell epitope peptides derived from Japanese cedar major pollen allergens have been used to successfully suppress allergen-specific Th2-mediated immunoglobulin E (IgE) responses in mouse experiments. In order to further expand the application of seed-based allergen-specific immunotherapy for controlling Japanese cedar pollinosis, we generated transgenic rice plants that specifically express recombinant Cry j 1 allergens in seeds. Cry j 1 allergens give low specific IgE-binding activity but contain all of the T-cell epitopes. The allergens were expressed directly or as a protein fusion with the major rice storage protein glutelin. Fusion proteins expressed under the control of the strong rice endosperm-specific GluB-1 promoter accumulated in rice endosperm tissue up to 15% of total seed protein. The fusion proteins aggregated with cysteine-rich prolamin and were deposited in endoplasmic reticulum-derived protein body I. The production of transgenic rice expressing structurally disrupted Cry j 1 peptides with low IgE binding activity but spanning the entire Cry j1 region can be used as a universal, safe and effective tolerogen for rice seed-based oral immunotherapy for cedar pollen allergy in humans and other mammals.
Yang
Lijun
L
Transgenic Crop Research and Development Center, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Kannondai 2-1-2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8602, Japan.
Suzuki
Kazuya
K
Hirose
Sakiko
S
Wakasa
Yuhya
Y
Takaiwa
Fumio
F
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000485:Allergens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D052179:Antigens, Plant; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D032485:Cryptomeria / Q000235:genetics; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D005983:Glutens / Q000378:metabolism; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000378:metabolism*; D055315:Prolamins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012639:Seeds / Q000378:metabolism*; D014611:Vaccination
D000485:Allergens; D052179:Antigens, Plant; C065290:Cry j I protein, Cryptomeria japonica; D010940:Plant Proteins; D055315:Prolamins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D005983:Glutens