Peach allergen research

Monday, 25 May 2009 20:51

Allergy to fruits from the Rosaceae family such as apples and peaches are associated with a wide range of symptoms from oral allergy syndrome to anaphylaxis.  A group from the Medical University of Vienna have attempted to characterise the T cell response to Pru p 3, an allergy-causing protein present in peach that affects people from Mediterranean areas.

Previous research has shown that although allergy caused by nonspecific lipid transfer proteins can occur in people from Central and Northern Europe, it is not as common in those from Mediterranean areas, and the reason for this is not yet known.

The researchers identified relevant T cell-activating regions within the protein which they believe provides a basis for engineering hypoallergenic variants of Pru p 3 with less IgE binding and retained T-cell stimulatory capacity for safe immunotherapy of peach allergy.

Reference: Schulten et al. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2009 Apr 6. [Epub ahead of print]