Bet v 1, the major birch pollen allergen, and Mal d 1, the major apple allergen, cross-react at the level of allergen-specific T helper cells

Background: Food allergy to apple is frequent in individuals allergic to tree pollen. The major allergens of birch, Bet v 1, and apple, Mal d 1, have been cloned and sequenced and display a high degree of sequence identity, Leading to IgE crossreactivity. Objective: We sought to investigate cross-reactivity between Bet v 1 and Mal d 1 at the level of allergen-specific T lymphocytes. Methods: PBMCs of 13 patients allergic to birch pollen with oral allergy syndrome to apple were stimulated with rBet v 1 and rMal d 1, respectively, thereby establishing allergen-specific T-cell lines and T-cell clones. rMal d 1-specific T-cell cultures were tested for reactivity with rBet v 1, and rBet v 1-specific T cells were analyzed for reactivity with apple allergen. Cytokine production patterns in response to specific stimulation were evaluated. A selection of cross-reacting T-cell clones was mapped for epitope specificity by the use of overlapping Bet v 1- derived peptides. Results: Nineteen Mal d 1-specific T-cell clones were produced, 79% of which cross-reacted with Bet v 1. Eight of 18 Bet v I-specific T-cell clones cross-reacted with Mal d 1. Six peptides representing cross-reactive T-cell epitopes could be identified. The respective fragments from birch and apple displayed approximately 50% amino acid identity. Seventy percent of the cross-reactive T-cell clones revealed a T-H2-like cytokine production pattern. Conclusion: The results indicate that cross-reactivity between apple and birch pollen Leading to the clinical oral allergy syndrome occurs not only at the serologic, but also at the cellular level.