Studies on the mechanism of food allergy

TFood allergy may be due to two independent steps. One is the abrogation of oral tolerance and the other is the induction of hyper IgE production.
Oral tolerance is an immunological unresponsive state for food antigen. In this state, the immune responses to an orally administered antigen are specifically inhibited, so the responses to other antigens are not influenced. The mechanism for induction of oral tolerance has not clearly understood. It is not known how the immune system distinguishes the food antigen from other pathogenic antigens. In the patients of food allergy, it is considered that the induction or the maintenance of oral tolerance is defective.
Food allergy is caused by type I allergic reaction against food antigens. Type I allergic reaction is mediated by allergen-specific IgE antibody. In healthy people, IgE production is kept at very low level, while the high level of allergen-specific IgE antibody is produced in patients of food allergy. It is not known why abnormal production of IgE is induced in allergic patients.
In our studies, we examine the mechanisms for the induction of oral tolerance and IgE production. Furthermore, we try to reveal the positive or negative effects of food factors for oral tolerance and IgE production.

REFERENCES

Yamamoto T.; Hattori, M.; Yoshida, T., Induction of T-cell activation or anergy determined by the combination of intensity and duration of T-cell receptor stimulation, and sequential induction in an individual cell.Immunology 2007, 121 (3), 383-391. [Abstract]

Ebihara, M.; Hattori, M.; Yoshida, T., Distinctly different sensitivity in the induction and reversal of anergy of Th1 and th2 cells. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 2007, 71 (1), 130-137. [Abstract]

Uno, T.; Hattori, M.; Yoshida, T., Oral administration of alginic acid oligosaccharide suppresses IgE production and inhibits the induction of oral tolerance. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2006, 70 (12), 3954-3057. [Abstract]

Yoshida, T.; Uno, T.; Hirano, A.; Wada, H.; Takahashi, K.; Hattori, M., Oral administration of IL-12 abrogates the induction but not the maintenance of oral tolerance. Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. 2006, 140 (4), 306-314. [Abstract]

Yoshida, T.; Hirano, A.; Wada, H.; Takahashi, K.; Hattori, M. Aliginic acid oligosaccharide suppresses Th2 development and IgE production by inducing IL-12 production. Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol.2004,, 133, 239-247.[Abstract]

Tadashi Yoshida, Satoshi Hachimura, Mina Ishimori, Wataru Ise, Mamoru Totsuka, Akio Ametani and Shuichi Kaminogawa, Interleukin 12 and CD86 regulate Th1 and Th2 development induced by a range of antigen doses presented by PeyerÕs patch and spleen cells, Cytotechnology, 2003, 43 (1-3), 81-88.

Masanobu Hibi, Satoshi Hachimura, Wataru Ise, Ayuko Sato, Tadashi Yoshida, Tsuyoshi Takayama, Katsumi Sasaki, Takashi Senga, Shuichi Hashizume, Mamoru Totsuka, Shuichi Kaminogawa, Dendritic cells from spleen, mesenteric lymph node and PeyerÕs patch can induce both production of IL-4 and IFN-g of naive CD4+ T cells in their primary culture, depending on antigen doses, Cytotechnology, 2003, 43 (1-3), 49-55.

Tadashi Yoshida, Satoshi Hachimura, Mina Ishimori, Fumitaka Kinugasa, Wataru Ise, Mamoru Totsuka, Akio Ametani and Shuichi Kaminogawa, Antigen presentation by PeyerÕs patch cells can induce both Th1- and Th2-type responses depending on antigen dosage, but a different cytokine response pattern from that of spleen cells, Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 2002, 66, 963-969.

Tadashi YoshidaCSatoshi Hachimura and Shuichi KaminogawaCThe oral administration of low-dose antigen induces activation followed by tolerization, while high-dose antigen induces tolerance without activation, Clin. Immunol. Immunopathol., 1997, 82, 207-215.

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