Lipophilic allergens: their isolation and clinical relevance

Introduction: Preliminary results on house dust mite allergens could associate lipophilic allergens with allergic asthma. The DZL-flag ship project “basic science” focuses on the effect of allergenic structure on allergenicity with particular emphasis on asthma development and molecular phenotyping. Peanut allergy in this regard serves as a model disease, since the lipid-rich fruit peanut induces severe, sometimes fatal allergic symptoms including bronchospasm. Oleosins, a class of highly lipophilic oil body proteins have been found to be triggers of severe allergic reactions to hazelnut and sesame. The aims of…