Immunotherapeutic potential of the immunodominant T-cell epitope of lipocalin allergen Bos d 2 and its analogues.

Lipocalin allergens, which contain most of the important animal-derived respiratory sensitizers, induce T helper type 2 (Th2) deviation, but the reasons for this are not clear. To explore the prospects for peptide-based allergen immunotherapy and to elucidate the characteristics of the immunodominant epitope of Bos d 2, BALB/c mice were immunized with a peptide containing the epitope, peptides containing its analogues, peptides from the corresponding regions of other lipocalin proteins, and peptides with a homologous sequence. We observed that murine spleen cells recognized the immunodominant epitope of Bos d 2, p127-142, in almost the same way as human Bos d 2-specific T cells did.