Designing a Multimer Allergen for Diagnosis and Immunotherapy of Dog Allergic Patients: e111041

Background Dog dander extract used for diagnosis and allergen-specific immunotherapy is often of variable and of poor quality. Objective To assemble four well-established dog allergen components into one recombinant folded protein for improved diagnosis and vaccination of allergy to dog. Methods A linked molecule, comprising the four dog lipocalin allergens Can f 1, Can f 2, Can f 4 and Can f 6 was constructed. The tetrameric protein was structurally characterized by small angle X-ray scattering, and compared with each single recombinant lipocalin allergen or an equimolar mix of the four allergens by analytical size exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism, allergen-specific IgE in serum by ELISA and allergen-dependent capacity to activate basophils. The immunogenicity of the fusion protein was evaluated in immunized mice by assessing splenocyte proliferation and antibody production. Results The linked tetrameric construct was produced as a soluble fusion protein, with the specific folds of the four individual allergens conserved. This multi-allergen molecule was significantly more efficient (p