[Molecular immunology of Japanese cedar pollen allergens: analysis of T cell epitopes]

Recent studies demonstrated that partial alteration of the amino acid sequence of T cell epitopes induced a stimulatory signal that was qualitatively different. Therefore, it is conceivable that immunotherapy using peptides representing dominant T cell epitopes could modulate the T cell response of allergic patients and prevent the production of IgE antibodies. Accordingly, a number of allergens have been molecularly cloned to determine their amino acid sequences. In Japan, the number of patients suffering from Japanese cedar pollinosis is steadily increasing and it has become a serious social problem. In this paper, we review the recent advances on T cell epitope mapping of Japanese cedar pollen, Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 and immunomodulating trials based on the mechanisms of T cell antigen-recognition.