Development of novel therapy against food allergy in animals.

本研究利用免疫学技术对猫狗食物过敏的发病机制进行了研究。我们发现，对食物过敏原的I型和IV型超敏反应参与了猫狗食物过敏的发病机制。在食物和环境过敏原之间的交叉反应方面，报告了一只对日本雪松花粉敏感的狗的口腔过敏综合征，这是由于雪松花粉和番茄抗原之间的IgE交叉反应的结果。我们还开发了一种客观的标记，通过淋巴细胞对食物过敏原的原始反应来识别有害的食物过敏原，为兽医临床诊断狗的食物超敏反应做出了重大贡献。另一方面，对犬疫苗的过敏反应在流行病学上被认为与狗的食物过敏有关。为了开发新的免疫疗法，利用T细胞表位的口服免疫疗法降低了实验性变态反应犬对变应原的过敏性。我们还发现了一段CpG基序，可以有效地诱导外周血单个核淋巴细胞产生干扰素-g。因此，在本研究中，明确了狗和猫食物过敏发病机制的主要部分，为兽医临床医学做出贡献。此外，由于狗和猫的食物过敏的发病机制与人类非常相似，这些动物将是一种有用的自发性食物过敏的动物模型。

In this study, pathogenesis of food allergy in dogs and cats has been investigated with immunological techniques. We found that types I and IV hypersensitivity against food allergens were involved in the pathogenesis of food hypersensitivity in dogs and cats. In terms of cross-reactivity between food and environmental allergens, oral allergy syndrome was reported in a dog sensitive to Japanese cedar pollen as a consequence of cross-reactivity of IgE between the cedar pollen and tomato antigen. We also developed an objective marker to identify offending food allergens by lymphocyte blastogenic responses against food allergens, resulting in a major contribution to veterinary clinical medicine for the diagnosis of food hypersensitivity in dogs. On the other hand, anaphylaxis against canine vaccine was epidemiologically suggested to be associated with food hypersensitivity in dogs. In order to develop novel immunotherapies, dogs experimentally induced allergy showed reduction of bronchial hypersensitivity to allergens by oral immunotherapy using T cell epitopes. We also found that a sequence of CpG motife that effectively induced IFN-g production from peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes.Thus, in this study, a major part of pathogenesis of food hypersensitivity in dogs and cats was clearly elucidated, contributing to veterinary clinical medicine. In addition, since the pathogenesis of food hypersensitivity in dogs and cats was very similar to that in humans, these animals would be useful as a nanimal model of spontaneous food allergy.