Hypoallergenic derivatives of the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 obtained by rational sequence reassembly

Background

At least 100 million patients suffer from birch pollen allergy.

Objective

Rational design of recombinant derivatives of the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, characterized by reduced IgE reactivity, preservation of sequences relevant for the induction of allergen-specific blocking IgG, and maintenance of T-cell epitopes for immunotherapy of birch pollen allergy.

Methods

Three recombinant mosaic proteins derived from Bet v 1 were generated by reassembly of codon-optimized genes coding for Bet v 1 fragments containing the elements for the induction of allergen-specific blocking IgG antibodies and the major T-cell epitopes. The proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli as recombinant mosaic molecules and compared with the Bet v 1 wild-type protein by chemical and structural methods, regarding IgE-binding and IgG-binding capacity, in basophil activation assays and tested for the in vivo induction of IgG responses.

Results

Three recombinant Bet v 1 (rBet v 1) mosaic proteins with strongly reduced IgE reactivity and allergenic activity were expressed and purified. Immunization with the recombinant hypoallergens induced IgG antibodies that inhibited IgE reactivity of patients with allergy to Bet v 1 comparable to those induced with the rBet v 1 wild-type allergen.

Conclusion

We report the generation and preclinical characterization of 3 hypoallergenic rBet v 1 derivatives with suitable properties for immunotherapy of birch pollen allergy.

Key words: Birch pollen allergy, immunotherapy, rBet v 1, recombinant hypoallergenic derivative molecules

Abbreviations used: HSA, Human serum albumin, PBS-T, PBS + 0.05% Tween 20, rBet v 1, Recombinant Bet v 1