Grantee Research Project Results
2011 Progress Report: Assessment of Allergic Responses to Food Proteins Using a Novel and Sensitive Adjuvant-Free Ingestion-Based Mouse Model
EPA Grant Number: R834825Title: Assessment of Allergic Responses to Food Proteins Using a Novel and Sensitive Adjuvant-Free Ingestion-Based Mouse Model
Investigators: Oettgen, Hans C
Institution: Children’s Hospital, Boston
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: September 15, 2010 through September 14, 2012 (Extended to September 14, 2013)
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 15, 2010 through September 14,2011
Project Amount: $424,803
RFA: Approaches to Assessing Potential Food Allergy from Genetically Engineered Plants (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health
Objective:
The overall goal of this project is to test the utility of a novel adjuvant-free mouse model of food allergy as a biological probe for food protein allergenicity. We propose to test whether a novel strain of mice, F709, exhibits an intense allergic phenotype can serve as sensor and predictor of allergenicity of foods. This will be determined by feeding foods known to be of high and low allergenicity and assessing whether any aspects of the response of F709 mice to these foods correlate with their known allergenicity.
Progress Summary:
During the first year of this project, we have subjected F709 mice to sensitization with peanut, shrimp and rice antigen. All antigens were given by gavage (delivery into the stomach), without enteral adjuvant to mimic natural food allergen exposure. Consistent with our hypothesis that F709 mice could serve as food allergy sensors, peanut-sensitized mice subjected to gavage challenge exhibited mast cell activation (as indicated by plasma measurements of the mast cell protease, mMCP-1) and anaphylaxis. However we faced some challenges. The shrimp-fed mice exhibited neither physiologic signs of anaphylaxis nor alterations in mMCP-1 levels.
Future Activities:
We are now in the process of repeating sensitization with higher doses of peanut and shrimp protein and will also consider adding an enteral adjuvant (cholera toxin). The peanut and shrimp IgE assays are being re-developed as a sandwich ELISA as our standard assay did not have sufficient sensitivity. Once conditions are optimized for peanut and shrimp, we will proceed to study other foods and test if the responses of F709 mice can serve to discriminate allergenic from nonallergenic food proteins.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 2 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Food allergy, allergen, IgE, anaphylaxis,Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.