Abstract
Numerous allergens have been cloned and produced by the use of recombinant DNA technology. In several cases recombinant variants with reduced IgE-reactivity have also been developed as candidates for allergen specific immunotherapy. Only very few of these proteins have as yet been tested in the clinic, and the major focus has been on birch and grass pollen, two of the most common causes of IgE-mediated allergic disease. This article serves to justify the rational for using recombinant products and reviews the progress that has been made to date with their clinical assessment.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Akdis CA, Blaser K (2001) Bypassing IgE and targeting T cells for specific immunotherapy of allergy. Trends Immunol 22:175–178
Akdis CA, Blesken T, Akdis M et al (1998) Role of interleukin 10 in specific immunotherapy. J Clin Invest 102:98–106
Akdis M, Verhagen J, Taylor A et al (2004) Immune responses in healthy and allergic individuals are characterized by a fine balance between allergen-specific T regulatory 1 and T helper 2 cells. J Exp Med 199:1567–1575
Allergome (2009) A platform for allergen knowledge, http://www.allergome.org
Andersson K, Lidholm J (2003) Characteristics and immunobiology of grass pollen allergens. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 130:87–107
Breiteneder H, Hassfeld W, Pettenburger K et al (1988) Isolation and characterization of messenger RNA from male inflorescences and pollen of the white birch (Betula verrucosa). Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol 87:19–24
Breiteneder H, Pettenburger K, Bito A et al (1989) The gene coding for the major birch allergen, Bet vI, is highly homologous to a pea disease resistance response gene. EMBO J 8:1935–1938
Carballido JM, Carballido-Perrig N, Terres G et al (1992) Bee venom phospholipase A2-specific T cell clones from human allergic and non-allergic individuals: cytokine patterns change in response to the antigen concentration. Eur J Immunol 22:1357–1363
Crameri R, Fluckiger S, Daigle I et al (2007) Design, engineering and in vitro evaluation of MHC class-II targeting allergy vaccines. Allergy 62:197–206
Creticos PS, Schroeder JT, Hamilton RG et al (2006) Immunotherapy with a ragweed-toll-like receptor 9 agonist vaccine for allergic rhinitis. New Engl J Med 355:1445–1455
Dahl R, Kapp A, Colombo G et al (2008) Sublingual grass allergen tablet immunotherapy provides sustained clinical benefit with progressive immunologic changes over 2 years. J Allergy Clin Immunol 121:512–518
Didier A, Malling HJ, Worm M et al (2007) Optimal dose, efficacy, and safety of once-daily sublingual immunotherapy with a 5-grass pollen tablet for seasonal allergic rhinitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol 120:1338–1345
Ferreira F, Briza P, Infuhr D et al (2006) Modified recombinant allergens for safer immunotherapy. Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets 5:5–14
Frew AJ, Powell RJ, Corrigan CJ, Durham SR (2006) Efficacy and safety of specific immunotherapy with SQ allergen extract in treatment-resistant seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol 117:319–325
Gafvelin G, Thunberg S, Kronqvist M et al (2005) Cytokine and antibody responses in birch-pollen-allergic patients treated with genetically modified derivatives of the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 138:59–66
Grönlund H, Bergman T, Sandström K et al (2003) Formation of disulfide bonds and homodimers of the major cat allergen Fel d 1 equivalent to the natural allergen by expression in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem 278:40144–40151
Johansen N, Weber RW, Ipsen H et al (2009) Extensive IgE cross-reactivity towards the Pooideae grasses substantiated for a large number of grass-pollen-sensitized subjects. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 150:325–334
Juniper EF, Guyatt GH (1991) Development and testing of a new measure of health status for clinical trials in rhinoconjunctivitis. Clin Exp Allergy 21:77–83
Jutel M, Akdis M, Budak F et al (2003) IL-10 and TGF-beta cooperate in the regulatory T cell response to mucosal allergens in normal immunity and specific immunotherapy. Eur J Immunol 33:1205–1214
Jutel M, Jaeger L, Suck R et al (2005) Allergen-specific immunotherapy with recombinant grass pollen allergens. J Allergy Clin Immunol 116:608–613
Kahlert H, Weber B, Cromwell O, Fiebig H (2003) Evaluation of the allergenicity of hypoallergenic recombinant derivatives of Bet v 1 using basophil activation vy CD203c expression measurement. In: Marone G (ed) Clinical immunology and allergy in medicine. JGC Editions, Naples, pp 735–740
Kahlert H, Suck R, Weber B et al (2008) Characterization of a hypoallergenic recombinant Bet v 1 variant as a candidate for allergen-specific immunotherapy. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 145:193–206
Kettner J, Meyer H, Cromwell O et al (2007a) Specific immunotherapy with recombinant birch pollen allergen rBet v1-FV results of 2 years of treatment (Phase II trial). Allergy 62(Suppl. 83):262 (Abstract)
Kettner J, Meyer H, Narkus A et al (2007b) Specific immunotherapy with recombinant birch pollen allergen rBet v 1-FV is clinically efficacious—results of a phase III study. Allergy 62(Suppl 83):33 (Abstract)
Klimek L, Bachert C, Doemer C et al (2005) Specific immunotherapy with recombinant birch pollen allergen rBet v1-FV is clinically efficacious. Allergy Clin Immunol Int. Suppl 1:15 (Abstract)
Larche M, Akdis CA, Valenta R (2006) Immunological mechanisms of allergen-specific immunotherapy. Nat Rev Immunol 6:761–771
Maasch HJ, Marsh DG (1987) Standardized extracts: Modified allergens–Allergoids. Clin Rev Allergy 5:89–106
Martinez-Gomez JM, Johansen P, Rose H et al (2009) Targeting the MHC class II pathway of antigen presentation enhances immunogenicity and safety of allergen immunotherapy. Allergy 64:172–178
Moverare R, Elfman L, Vesterinen E et al (2002) Development of new IgE specificities to allergenic components in birch pollen extract during specific immunotherapy studied with immunoblotting and Pharmacia CAP System. Allergy 57:423–430
Narkus A, Kniest F, Menzel A et al. (2009) Clinical trials with recombinant allergens - three perspectives: industry. Arb Paul Ehrlich Inst Bundesamt Sera Impfstoffe. Frankfurt AM 96:270–278
Niederberger V, Valenta R (2006) Molecular approaches for new vaccines against allergy. Expert Rev Vaccines 5:103–110
Niederberger V, Horak F, Vrtala S et al (2004) Vaccination with genetically engineered allergens prevents progression of allergic disease. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 101:14677–14682
Niederberger V, Reisinger J, Valent P et al (2007) Vaccination with genetically modified birch pollen allergens: Immune and clinical effects on oral allergy syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol 119:1013–1019
Pauli G, Purohit A, Oster JP et al (2000) Comparison of genetically engineered hypoallergenic rBet v 1 derivatives with rBet v 1 wild-type by skin prick and intradermal testing: results obtained in a French population. Clin Exp Allergy 30:1076–1084
Pauli G, Larsen TH, Rak S et al (2008) Efficacy of recombinant birch pollen vaccine for the treatment of birch-allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol 122:951–960
Purohit A, Niederberger V, Kronqvist M et al (2008) Clinical effects of immunotherapy with genetically modified recombinant birch pollen Bet v 1 derivatives. Clin Exp Allergy 38:1514–1525
Rappuoli R, Douce G, Dougan G, Pizza M (1995) Genetic detoxification of bacterial toxins: a new approach to vaccine development. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 108:327–333 [Review] [39 refs]
Reisinger J, Horak F, Pauli G et al (2005) Allergen-specific nasal IgG antibodies induced by vaccination with genetically modified allergens are associated with reduced nasal allergen sensitivity. J Allergy Clin Immunol 116:347–354
Ruedl C, Bachmann MF, Kopf M (2000) The antigen dose determines T helper cell subset development by regulation of CD40 ligand. Eur J Immunol 30:2056–2064
Senti G, Kuster D, Martinez-Gomez JM et al (2009) Intralymphatic allergen specific immunotherapy using modified recombinant allergen targeting the MHC class II pathway: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in cat dander allergic patients. Allergy 64(Suppl 90):74 (Abstract)
Sprung V, Pfaar O, Klimek L et al (2009) Safety and efficacy of recombinant grass pollen allergens: a dose – response study. Allergy 64(Suppl 90):147 [Abstract]
Tighe H, Takabayashi K, Schwartz D et al (2000) Conjugation of immunostimulatory DNA to the short ragweed allergen Amb a 1 enhances its immunogenicity and reduces its allergenicity. J Allergy Clin Immunol 106:124–134
Tryba M (1994) Akuttherapie anaphylaktoider Reaktionen. Ergebnis einer interdisziplinären Konsensuskonferenz. Allergo J 3:211–224
van der Heijden FL, van Neerven RJJ, van Katwijk M et al (1993) Serum-IgE-facilitated allergen presentation in atopic disease. J Immunol 150:3643–3650
van Hage-Hamsten M, Kronqvist M, Zetterström O et al (1999) Skin test evaluation of genetically engineered hypoallergenic derivatives of the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1: results obtained with a mix of two recombinant Bet v 1 fragments and recombinant Bet v 1 trimer in a Swedish population before the birch pollen season. J Allergy Clin Immunol 104:969–977
Vrtala S, Hirtenlehner K, Vangelista L et al (1997) Conversion of the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, into two nonanaphylactic T cell epitope-containing fragments-candidates for a novel form of specific immunotherapy. J Clin Invest 99:1673–1681
Vrtala S, Akdis CA, Budak F et al (2001a) T cell epitope-containing hypoallergenic recombinant fragments of the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, induce blocking antibodies. J Immunol 165:6653–6659
Vrtala S, Hirtenlehner K, Susani M et al (2001b) Genetic engineering of a hypoallergenic trimer of the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1. FASEB J 15:2045–2047
Weber B, Slamal H, Suck R (2003) Size exclusion chromatography as a tool for quality control of recombinant allergens and hypoallergenic variants. J Biochem Biophys Meth 56:219–232
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cromwell, O., Niederberger, V., Horak, F., Fiebig, H. (2011). Clinical Experience with Recombinant Molecules for Allergy Vaccination. In: Valenta, R., Coffman, R. (eds) Vaccines against Allergies. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 352. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2011_129
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2011_129
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-20053-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-20054-0
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)