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BACKGROUND: Better understanding of the relevance of the immune response to common environmental allergens, such as the major house dust mite (HDM) allergen Der p 2, requires characterization of constituent T-cell epitopes. AIM: To identify CD4(+) T-cell epitopes within Der p 2 recognized by commonly expressed human leucocyte antigen (HLA) alleles. METHODS: HLA-blocking antibodies, peptide pools and truncations were used in ELISpot assays to establish restricted T-cell epitopes. RESULTS: People with and without atopic dermatitis have detectable Der p 2-specific T cells in the peripheral blood, which can proliferate in response to Der p 2 peptides. Interleukin-4-specific responses, both ex vivo and cultured to Der p 2 peptides, had a significant positive correlation with HDM-specific serum IgE. Within one pool of Der p 2 peptides, the 20mer D11 was found to induce multiple responses restricted through several alleles, including HLA-DPB1*0401 and HLA-DRB1*01. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified an immunogenic region of Der p 2 presented by common HLA class II alleles, including the most commonly expressed HLA allele DPB1*0401. Identification of such epitopes may be of future value in peptide immunotherapeutic approaches.

Original publication

DOI

10.1111/j.1365-2230.2011.04227.x

Type

Journal article

Journal

Clin Exp Dermatol

Publication Date

04/2012

Volume

37

Pages

266 - 276

Keywords

Adult, Alleles, Animals, Antigens, Dermatophagoides, Arthropod Proteins, CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Dermatitis, Atopic, Dust, Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte, Genetic Linkage, HLA-D Antigens, Humans, Immunoglobulin E, Interferon-gamma, Interleukin-4, Pyroglyphidae