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* Department of Pathophysiology, Division of Immunopathology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria;
Institute of Genetics, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; and
Department of Blood Group Serology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) pollen allergens
represent the main cause of pollinosis in late summer in Europe. At
least 95% of sera from mugwort pollen-allergic patients contain IgE
against a highly glycosylated 24- to 28-kDa glycoprotein. Recently,
this major allergen, termed Art v 1, was characterized, cloned in
Escherichia coli, and produced in recombinant form. In
the present study we characterized and compared the T cell responses to
natural (nArt v 1) and recombinant Art v 1 (rArt v 1). In vitro T cell
responses to nArt v 1 and rArt v 1 were studied in PBMC, T cell lines
(TCL), and T cell clones (TCC) established from PBMC of
mugwort-allergic patients. Stimulation of PBMC or allergen-specific TCL
with either nArt v 1 or rArt v 1 resulted in comparable proliferative T
cell responses. Eighty-five percent of the TCC reactive with rArt v 1
cross-reacted with the natural protein. The majority of the
CD4+CD8-TCR 
+ Art v
1-specific TCC, obtained from 10 different donors, belonged to the Th2
phenotype. Epitope mapping of TCL and TCC using overlapping peptides
revealed a single immunodominant T cell epitope recognized by
81% of the patients. Inhibition experiments demonstrated that the
presentation of this peptide is restricted by HLA-DR molecules. In
conclusion, the T cell response to Art v 1 is characterized by one
strong immunodominant epitope and evidently differs from the T cell
responses to other common pollen allergens known to contain multiple T
cell epitopes. Therefore, mugwort allergy may be an ideal candidate for
a peptide-based immunotherapy approach.
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  B. Jahn-Schmid, P. Sirven, V. Leb, W. F. Pickl, G. F. Fischer, G. Gadermaier, M. Egger, C. Ebner, F. Ferreira, B. Maillere, et al. Characterization of HLA Class II/Peptide-TCR Interactions of the Immunodominant T Cell Epitope in Art v 1, the Major Mugwort Pollen Allergen J. Immunol., September 1, 2008; 181(5): 3636 - 3642. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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