Allergen Epitopes

Abstract

In epitopes — targets of B or T cells — chemical structure and immune system come together. The oversimplifying dogma that B-cell epitopes are conformational and that T-cell epitopes are continuous ones is called into question by experimental findings. On the one hand, grass pollen allergic patients present a common but also an individual reaction pattern to allergens and their substructures. There is some evidence that allergen degradation products are natural targets of B-cell recognition, underlining the importance of continuous epitopes. On the other hand, each allergen presents its individual epitope pattern. Whereas in group V grass pollen allergens continuous epitopes play their role, group I grass pollen allergens present conformational epitopes as relevant targets of IgE recognition. These findings should lead to a more sophisticated view of the structure of epitopes; to reveal the pathophysiological impact of the three-dimensional structure of epitopes under physiological conditions will be the challenge of the immediate future.