Identification of antigenic epitopes on human allergens: studies with HLA transgenic mice

Biology and function of neuroimmune semaphorins 4A and 4D

Semaphorins belong to a family of membrane-bound and secreted molecules that regulate the functional activity of axons in the nervous system. Sema4A and Sema4D were the first semaphorins also found to be expressed in immune cells and were, therefore, termed "immune semaphorins". It is known that Sema4A has three functional receptors, namely Plexin D1, Plexin B1, and Tim-2, whereas Sema4D binds to Plexin B1 and CD72. Recent studies suggest that immune semaphorins play critical roles in many physiological and pathological processes and such. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the biology of neuroimmune semaphorins and their corresponding receptors, their distribution in organs and tissues, function in the immune response, and critical regulatory roles in various diseases.

Animal models to detect allergenicity to foods and genetically modified products: workshop summary

Respiratory allergy and allergy to foods continue to be important health issues. There is evidence to indicate that the incidence of food allergy around the world is on the rise. Current estimates indicate that approximately 5% of young children and 1-2% of adults suffer from true food allergy (Kagan 2003). Although a large number of in vivo and in vitro tests exist for the clinical diagnosis of allergy in humans, we lack validated animal models of allergenicity. This deficiency creates serious problems for regulatory agencies and industries that must define the potential allergenicity of foods before marketing. The emergence of several biotechnologically derived foods and industrial proteins, as well as their potential to sensitize genetically predisposed populations to develop allergy, has prompted health officials and regulatory agencies around the world to seek approaches and methodologies to screen novel proteins for allergenicity.