title: Molecular chimerism in IgE-mediated allergy: B-and T-cell tolerance toward highly immunogenic exogenous antigens.
abstract: Specific immunotherapy is the only curative treatment currently available for IgE-mediated allergy and preventive strategies are lacking altogether. We have recently reported that molecular chimerism induces durable tolerance in experimental models of allergy, thus potentially providing a new approach for the treatment and prevention of allergic diseases. Molecular chimerism is a gene-therapy approach for tolerance induction toward defined disease-causing antigens. In proof-of-concept studies, we introduced a clinically relevant grass pollen allergen into hematopoietic stem cells and transplanted those modified cells into preconditioned syngeneic mice. Long-lasting and robust tolerance toward the allergen was achieved. In our most recent studies published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy we demonstrated that milder, non-myeloablative conditioning is sufficient to induce tolerance. Our results revealed that, in contrast to other rodent models of chimerism, persistent microchimerism suffices to induce lasting tolerance at the T cell, B cell and effector cell levels in IgE-mediated allergy. This article addendum provides a summary of the recent paper and its implications.
authors.affiliation: Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Vienna General Hospital, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Baranyi
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valenta
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wekerle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D046528:Chimerism; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007167:Immunotherapy; D051379:Mice; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: B-cell tolerance; IgE-mediated allergy; T-cell tolerance; microchimerism; molecular chimerism