Proliferation and release of IL-5 and IFN-gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cat-allergic asthmatics and rhinitics, non-cat-allergic asthmatics, and normal controls to peptides derived from Fel d 1 chain 1
Bm. Haselden et al., Proliferation and release of IL-5 and IFN-gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cat-allergic asthmatics and rhinitics, non-cat-allergic asthmatics, and normal controls to peptides derived from Fel d 1 chain 1, J ALLERG CL, 108(3), 2001, pp. 349-356
Background: In general, T cells from normal, nonatopic individuals respond
to aeroallergens with synthesis and release of IFN-gamma. In contrast, rele
ase of T(H)2-type cytokines by activated lymphocytes is a feature of allerg
ic rhinitis and atopic asthma.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine differences in T-cell
recognition of epitopes within allergenic sequences, in terms of prolifera
tion and cytokine production, in subjects with atopic asthma compared with
subjects with allergic rhinitis and normal controls.
Methods: Proliferative responses and IL-5/IFN-gamma release patterns from P
BMCs from cat-allergic asthmatic, cat-allergic rhinitic, and non-cat-allerg
ic asthmatic subjects and nonatopic normal controls were determined in prim
ary cultures. Cells were challenged with 7 overlapping peptides spanning ch
ain 1 of the major cat allergen, Fel d 1.
Results: The 4 groups did not differ with respect to the ability to mount p
roliferative responses to Fel d 1 peptides. In all groups, the IFN-gamma re
sponses were predominantly to the amino terminus peptides. Cat-allergic and
non-cat-allergic asthmatic subjects (and not cat-allergic rhinitic subject
s and normal controls) made IL-5 responses to most of the Fel d 1 peptides,
the result being a mixed (T(H)0) cytokine response at the N-terminus and a
restricted (T(H)2) response at the C-terminus.
Conclusion: Proliferative and IL-5/IFN-gamma responses of T cells from asth
matic and atopic rhinitic subjects and normal controls to allergen peptides
can be dissociated. Furthermore, differing cytokine responses to peptides
derived from a single antigen suggest that certain domains of the molecule
might preferentially induce IL-5 rather than IFN-gamma and as a result coul
d be more important in disease pathogenesis.