Natural protective immunity against grass pollen allergy is maintained by a diverse spectrum of response types
Almedina Kurtaj, Christoph Hillebrand, Gerda Fichtinger, Eva Hattinger, Melanie Lietzenmayer, Yoan Machado, Sandra Scheiblhofer, Angelika Stoecklinger, Theresa Thalhamer, Susanne Suessner, Martin Danzer, Sabine Keplinger, Johannes Weinberger, Susanne Schaller, Stephan Winkler, Christian Gabriel, Josef Thalhamer, Richard Weiss
Abstract:
Tolerance induction and maintenance via regulatory T cells has been claimed to be the major mechanism underlying a non-allergic status in healthy humans. However, this paradigm needs to be revisited, as the immune system utilizes a much broader spectrum of protective immune response types in non-allergic humans. In addition, these immune responses are apparently shaped by interaction with the environment. We analyzed T cell responses and immunoglobulin subclasses specific for the major grass pollen allergen Phl p 5 in blood samples collected from non-allergic donors living in an urban or farming environment. All non-allergic individuals mounted a specific humoral response with varying proportions of IgG1 and/or IgG4 and IgA, but no individual produced IgE antibodies. Allergen-specific T cell responses displayed an even more diverse spectrum of polarizations. Compared to farmers, townspeople showed a more inflammatory response type as indicated by elevated T-bet expression and IFN-γ secretion, and a significantly increased IgG seroconversion. We conclude that induction of protective immune responses in non-allergic healthy humans against the grass pollen allergen Phl p 5 is ubiquitous, of high phenotypic diversity, and influenced by the environment.
The open access article can be found  here.
Reviewed by Hans Brandstetter