Production of Therapeutic Proteins Composed of Seven Dominant Human T Cell Epitopes Derived from the Japanese Cedar Pollen Allergens

Abstract

In recent years, the peptide immunotherapy using dominant T-cell epitopes has been expected as an effective treatment for allergic diseases such as Japanese cedar pollen allergy. To generate genetically manipulated chickens expressing T-cell epitope peptides of Japanese cedar pollen allergens, we constructed retroviral vector plasmids encoding an expression cassette of seven dominant human T-cell epitopes derived from the Japanese cedar pollen allergens (7crp) fused with the Fc region of immunoglobulin A or G, or chicken lysozyme. Retroviral vectors produced using the plasmids were concentrated by ultracentrifugation and injected into developing chicken embryos. The manipulated embryos were cultured to hatch with 44% hatchability. The eggs produced by the genetically manipulated chickens may be used as an oral drug for Japanese cedar pollen allergy.