PubMed · 14025432
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R R DAVIES. 1963-07-26. The pollen count.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14025432/
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Chemokine receptors play an important role in the migration of leukocytes to sites of allergic inflammation in humans. In this study, we have identified increased expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR1 on CD4+ T lymphocytes derived from patients with atopic disease compared with normal donors. Enhanced expression of CXCR1 by atopic donors was identified on freshly isolated peripheral blood cells and on expanded cell populations derived from nasal mucosal biopsies and from the periphery. Identification of CXCR1 expression on CD4 cells in the nasal mucosa was confirmed by double immunofluorescence. In addition, expression of CXCR1 was dramatically decreased in patients undergoing successful treatment of allergic rhinitis by specific immunotherapy. CXCR1 provided a functional receptor capable of regulating T cells in the context of allergic disease, since expression of CXC chemokine ligand 8 was up-regulated at the site of allergic inflammation and freshly isolated CXCR1+CD4+ cells from atopic donors showed an enhanced functional response to this ligand. CXCR1 expression on CD4+ T cells was increased in vitro in response to the pro-Th2 cytokine IL-4. Phenotypic analysis reveals that IFN-gamma expression was lower in the CXCR1+CD4+ cells. The identification of CXCR1 as a marker of allergic rhinitis reveals a possible target for therapeutic intervention in atopic disease.
Food allergens are almost always proteins, but not all food proteins are allergens. This one statement sums up the purpose of this article, defining the difference between an innocuous food protein and a food allergen. The simplest answer is that a food allergen has the ability to first elicit an IgE response, and then, on subsequent exposures, to elicit a clinical response to the same or similar protein. However, this simplistic answer avoids the more complex issues of defining the biochemical characteristics that allow a food protein to survive the extremes of food processing, escape the digestive enzymes of the human gastrointestinal tract, and interact with the immune system. More than 700 allergen sequences have been identified from food and nonfood sources. However, despite increasing knowledge of the structure and amino acid sequences of the identified allergens, only a few biochemical characteristics can be associated with food allergens. Food allergen characteristics, including abundance of the protein in the food; multiple, linear IgE binding epitopes; resistance of the protein to digestion and processing; and allergen structure are discussed, and the possible reasons they predispose some food proteins to become allergens are suggested.
Although most food-allergic reactions occur after ingestion of nonpackaged food products, the food industry has been subjected to increasing scrutiny of their allergen controls; the resulting impact on the industry has been remarkable. Undeclared food allergens have been responsible for many food product recalls during the past 13 years, and the food industry has made significant investment, effort, and improvements in allergen control during this time. Recently, tests for some allergenic foods have been commercialized, and proven useful to the industry in controlling allergens and helpful for regulatory agencies investigating food-allergic consumer complaints. However, testing methods still do not exist for some of the common allergenic foods. Labeling initiatives have been pursued to make ingredient listings more easily understood by food-allergic consumers, but further improvements could still be made. Additional research to determine eliciting doses for allergenic foods is needed to enable science-based risk assessment and risk management.