We recently identified
T cell epitopes associated with human allergic responses. In a majority of cases, responses focused on a few
immunodominant epitopes which can be predicted on the basis of MHC binding characteristics. Several observations from our studies challenged the assumption that
T cell epitopes are derived from the same
allergen proteins that bind
IgE. Transcriptomic and proteomics analysis identified pollen
proteins, not bound by
IgE. These novel Timothy Grass
proteins elicited vigorous Th2 responses, suggesting that unlinked T cell help is operational in pollen-specific responses. Thus, the repertoire of
antigens recognized by T cells is much broader than
IgE-binding
allergens. Additionally, we evaluated the use of
epitopes from these novel
antigens to assess immunological changes associated with Specific
Immunotherapy (SIT). We found that a marked decrease in
IL5 production is associated with clinically efficacious SIT, suggesting that these novel
antigens are potential immunomarkers for SIT efficacy.