SuperHapten: a comprehensive database for small immunogenic compounds

Abstract

The immune system protects organisms from foreign proteins, peptide epitopes and a multitude of chemical compounds. Among these, haptens are small molecules, eliciting an immune response when conjugated with carrier molecules. Known haptens are xenobiotics or natural compounds, which can induce a number of autoimmune diseases like contact dermatitis or asthma. Furthermore, haptens are utilized in the development of biosensors, immunomodulators and new vaccines. Although hapten-induced allergies account for 6–10% of all adverse drug effects, the understanding of the correlation between structural and haptenic properties is rather fragmentary. We have developed a manually curated hapten database, SuperHapten, integrating information from literature and web resources. The current version of the database compiles 2D/3D structures, physicochemical properties and references for about 7500 haptens and 25,000 synonyms. The commercial availability is documented for about 6300 haptens and 450 related antibodies, enabling experimental approaches on cross-reactivity. The haptens are classified regarding their origin: pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, drugs, natural compounds, etc. Queries allow identification of haptens and associated antibodies according to functional class, carrier protein, chemical scaffold, composition or structural similarity. SuperHapten is available online at .

Databases and Associated Bioinformatic Tools in Studies of Food Allergens, Epitopes and Haptens – a Review

“…SuperHapten is another database describing haptens [Gűnther et al, 2007] that contains information about immunogenic compounds. The chemical compounds stored in the SuperHapten database are divided into the following groups: halogen derivatives (2032), pesticides (227), herbicides (97), fungicides (43), insecticides (66), contact allergens (195), drugs (392), and natural compounds (1397).…”

“…It also offers additional information on antibodies, carriers, and their defi nitions. The website provides also statistics on the use of the database and links to other sites related to antibodies, access to public library resources and other databases [Gűnther et al, 2007].…”

Designer lipids for drug delivery: From heads to tails

“…Importantly, memory IgM was also observed in response to haptenated liposomes, suggesting that multiple injections would also lead to an advanced blood clearance of the haptenated formulations [65]. Several haptenated liposomes have been evaluated, but the Super Hapten Database reports more than 7000 known haptens [66]. Given the vast number of known haptens and their chemical diversity, we believe that most synthetic lipid headgroups will induce an immune response.…”

Drug-Binding Databases

“…The user interface provides diverse query types, like searching by hapten name, physicochemical properties, industrial use or associated carrier protein [53]. Currently contains 7257 different haptens and references to about 10,000 immunologic articles.…”

“…Another important aspect to assist immunologists is the availability of the haptens for further experiments [53]. Each compound is provided with a full info page containing synonyms, molecular properties and references to the underlying literature.…”