HOUSE-DUST MITE ALLERGEN CHARACTERIZATION - IMPLICATIONS FOR T-CELL RESPONSES AND IMMUNOTHERAPY

T cells are central regulators and mediators of allergic sensitisation and disease. The house dust mite allergens are a biochemically divers e group of proteins which are present in extracts and the environment in a wide range of concentrations. Here the importance of ascertaining the contribution of the different allergens to Th2 lymphokine product ion and the development of allergy is discussed as well as the effect of allelic polymorphisms and inter-species sequence diversity on T-cel l activation. The imbalances in allergen concentrations in commercial extracts, the sequence variations from allergens in the environment an d the poor discrimination of allergy due to different mite species poi nts to areas of improvement and the development of novel immunotherape utic strategies and reagents.