Bet v 1 triggers antiviral‐type immune signalling in birch‐pollen‐allergic individuals

Abstract

Background In allergic patients, clinical symptoms caused by pollen remind of symptoms triggered by viral respiratory infections, which are also the main cause of asthmatic exacerbations. In patients sensitized to birch pollen, Bet v 1 is the major symptom‐causing allergen. Immune mechanisms driving Bet v 1‐related responses of human blood cells have not been fully characterized. Objective To characterize the immune response to Bet v 1 in peripheral blood in patients allergic to birch pollen. Methods The peripheral blood mononuclear cells of birch‐allergic (n = 24) and non‐allergic (n = 47) adolescents were stimulated ex‐vivo followed by transcriptomic profiling. Systems‐biology approaches were employed to decipher disease‐relevant gene networks and deconvolution of associated cell populations. Results Solely in birch‐allergic patients, co‐expression analysis revealed activation of networks of innate immunity and antiviral signalling as the immediate response to Bet v 1 stimulation. Toll‐like receptors and signal transducer transcription were the main drivers of gene expression patterns. Macrophages and dendritic cells were the main cell subsets responding to Bet v 1. Conclusions and clinical relevance In birch‐pollen‐allergic patients, the activated innate immune networks seem to be, in part, the same as those activated during viral infections. This tendency of the immune system to read pollens as viruses may provide new insight to allergy prevention and treatment.

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“…In birch-pollen allergic subjects, the latest result implied, that the activated innate immune networks seem to be, in part, the same as those activated during viral infections. 31 This tendency of the immune system to read pollens as viruses may provide new insight into prevention and treatment.…”

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“…The identified networks revealed interesting targets to study further and explore their role in allergy sensitization and disease progression (Figure 1). 3 These findings can potentially reveal new approaches for the treatment and prevention of pollen allergies.…”

“…1 Bet v 1 is the major allergen in birch and birch-related tree pollen allergies. 2 In their study, Wisgrill and colleagues 3 aimed to characterize the immune response to the Bet v 1 allergen in the peripheral blood of 24 birch-pollen allergic patients compared to 47 non-birch-allergic patients. Allergic and non-allergic peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples were isolated and stimulated with Bet v 1 allergen, this was followed by performing microarray and transcriptomics, as well as fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis.…”

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“…In birch-pollen-allergic subjects, the activated innate immune networks seem to be partly similar to those activated during viral infections. 238 In Russian teenagers, long-non-coding RNA is upregulated, obviously mediating the gene-environment and gene-microbiota interactions. 239 Furthermore, high Acinetobacter abundance in the Russians correlated with suppression of innate immune response.…”