Allergy Allergy Allergy is a disorder of the immune system which is a form of hypersensitivity. Allergic reactions occur to normally harmless environmental substances known as allergens; these reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid. Strictly, allergy is one of four forms of hypersensitivity and is called type I (or immediate) hypersensitivity. It is characterized by excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and basophils by a type of antibody known as IgE, resulting in an extreme inflammatory response. Common allergic reactions include eczema, hives, hay fever, asthma attacks, food allergies, and reactions to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees. Mild allergies like hay fever are highly prevalent in the human population and cause symptoms such as allergic conjunctivitis, itchiness, and runny nose. Allergies can play a major role in conditions such as asthma. In some people, severe allergies to environmental or dietary allergens or to medication may result in life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. A variety of tests now exist to diagnose allergic conditions; these include testing the skin for responses to known allergens or analyzing the blood for the presence and levels of allergen-specific IgE. Treatments for allergies include allergen avoidance, use of anti-histamines, steroids or other oral medications, immunotherapy to desensitize the response to allergen, and targeted therapy (Wiki: Allergy). Baboon Papio cynocephalus 9556 Bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus 447135 Bear Ursus americanus 9643 Birds Passeroidea 175121 Brown Trout Salmo trutta 8032 Buffalo Bison bison 9901 Carnivores Vulpes 9625 Cat Felis catus 9685 Catfishes Siluriformes 7995 Cattle Bos taurus 9913 Chicken Gallus gallus 9031 Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes 9598 chinchillas Chinchillidae 10150 Copper Pheasant Syrmaticus soemmerringii 9067 Deer Cervus elaphus 9860 Deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus 10042 Dog Canis familiaris 9615 Ducks Anas 8835 Ferret Mustela putorius furo 9669 Fish Hyperotreti 117565 Gerbil Gerbillina 10045 Goat Capra hircus 9925 Gray wolf Canis lupus 9612 Guinea pig Cavia porcellus 10141 Hamster Mesocricetus auratus 10036 Horse Equus caballus 9796 Human Homo sapiens 9606 Macaque Macaca fascicularis 9541 Mongolian Gerbil Meriones unguiculatus 10047 Monkey Platyrrhini 9479 Mouse Mus musculus 10090 None None Parrot Psittacidae 9224 Pig Sus scrofa 9823 Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus 9986 Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss 8022 Rat Rattus 10114 Raven Corvus corax 56781 sei whale Balaenoptera borealis 9768 Sheep Ovis aries 9940 Squirrel Spermophilus richardsonii 37591 Tree shrew Tupaiidae 9393 Trouts, salmons & chars Salmoninae 504568 Turkey Meleagris gallopavo 9103 Vole Microtus ochrogaster 79684 Water buffalo Bubalus bubalis 391902 Phleum pratense Allergy Phl p 12 Subunit Vaccine VO_0011374 Subunit vaccine Research subcutaneous injection Aluminum hydroxide subcutaneous injection A recombinant protein comprised of the C terminus of Phl p 12 at its N terminus and the Phl p 12 N terminus at its C terminus, Phl p 12-rs, was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified (Westritschnig et al., 2007). Recombinant protein preparation rPhl p 12-rs induced IgG1 reactivity to rPhl p 12, rBet v 2, rCor a 2, and rDau c 4 that was of comparable magnitude as the reactivity induced by rPhl p 12 (Westritschnig et al., 2007). BALB/c Mice were immunized s.c. with either 10 µg of rPhl p 12, 10 µg of rPhl p 12-rs, or a equimolar mixture of the five peptides (2 µg of each peptide) adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide (Westritschnig et al., 2007). rPhl p 12-rs and the Phl p 12-derived peptides induced lower allergenic immune responses to the wild-type allergen than rPhl p 12 upon immunization of the mice and thus exhibited reduced in vivo allergenicity (Westritschnig et al., 2007). PRO2 Phleum pratense 3914432 CDD:238085 15957 Profilin-2 5.91 16483.64 311 Allergen Phl p 11; Pollen allergen Phl p 12; Profilin 4 >sp|O24650.1|PROF2_PHLPR RecName: Full=Profilin-2; AltName: Full=Allergen Phl p 11; AltName: Full=Pollen allergen Phl p 12; AltName: Full=Profilin 4; AltName: Allergen=Phl p 12 MSWQTYVDEHLMCEIEGHHLASAAILGHDGTVWAQSADFPQFKPEEITGIMKDFDEPGHLAPTGMFVAGA KYMVIQGEPGAVIRGKKGAGGITIKKTGQALVVGIYDEPMTPGQCNMVVERLGDYLVEQGM Protective antigen The cDNA coding for timothy grass pollen profilin, Phl p 12, was used as a template to develop a new strategy for engineering an allergy vaccine with low IgE reactivity. Non-IgE-reactive fragments of Phl p 12 were identified by synthetic peptide chemistry and restructured (rs) as a new molecule, Phl p 12-rs. It comprised the C terminus of Phl p 12 at its N terminus and the Phl p 12 N terminus at its C terminus. Phl p 12-rs was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. IgG Abs induced by immunization of mice and rabbits with Phl p 12-rs cross-reacted with pollen and food-derived profilins. Recombinant Phl p 12-rs, rPhl p 12-rs, induced less reaginic IgE to the wild-type allergen than rPhl p 12. However, the rPhl p 12-rs-induced IgGs inhibited allergic patients' IgE Ab binding to profilins to a similar degree as those induced by immunization with the wild type. Phl p 12-rs specific IgG inhibited profilin-induced basophil degranulation. In conclusion, a restructured recombinant vaccine was developed for the treatment of profilin-allergic patients [Ref1279:Westritschnig et al., 2007]. 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