Characterizing peanut-specific antibodies may identify targets to treat food allergy Changes in the human environment and activities over the past few decades have caused an epidemic of food allergies (1). People suffering from allergies often feel that they live on a cliff edge, as the allergens to which they react are potentially fatal (2). For example, tiny amounts of peanut picked up on skin or contaminating other foods can be dangerous to peanut-sensitized individuals (2–4). Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies mediate the allergic response. They bind to specific receptors on inflammatory immune cells: mast cells in mucosal tissues lining body surfaces and cavities, and basophils in the circulation. These cells mediate allergic responses triggered by specific antigens (allergens) that are recognized by IgE. B cells expressing IgG antibodies have long served as the paradigm for the development of B cells into antibody-secreting plasma cells in the immune response. Until recently, the far less abundant IgE-expressing B cells have proved to be elusive. On page 1306 of this issue, Croote et al. (5) have analyzed single B cells from six individuals with peanut allergy, which enabled the identification of the natural Ig heavy- and light-chain pairs from IgE-expressing B cells that are responsible for peanut allergy. With this information they produced recombinant antibodies, identified the peanut allergen–specific antibodies, and used site-directed mutagenesis to suppress their activity. The mutated antibodies could be used to treat peanut allergy.

中文翻译：

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花生过敏原特异性抗体上市

表征花生特异性抗体可以确定治疗食物过敏的目标过去几十年人类环境和活动的变化导致了食物过敏的流行（1）。患有过敏症的人经常觉得他们生活在悬崖边缘，因为他们所反应的过敏原可能是致命的 (2)。例如，少量花生沾在皮肤上或污染其他食物可能对花生敏感个体造成危险 (2-4)。免疫球蛋白 E (IgE) 抗体介导过敏反应。它们与炎症免疫细胞上的特定受体结合：体表和腔体黏膜组织中的肥大细胞，以及循环中的嗜碱性粒细胞。这些细胞介导由 IgE 识别的特定抗原（过敏原）引发的过敏反应。表达 IgG 抗体的 B 细胞长期以来一直是 B 细胞在免疫反应中发育成分泌抗体的浆细胞的范例。直到最近，被证明是难以捉摸的表达 IgE 含量低得多的 B 细胞。在本期的第 1306 页，Croote 等人。(5) 分析了来自 6 名花生过敏个体的单个 B 细胞，这使得能够从表达 IgE 的 B 细胞中鉴定出导致花生过敏的天然 Ig 重链和轻链对。利用这些信息，他们产生了重组抗体，鉴定了花生过敏原特异性抗体，并使用定点诱变来抑制它们的活性。突变抗体可用于治疗花生过敏。