Authors: Cheng Yi, Fong; Pei-Chi Shek, Lynette; Cheong, Nge; Yan Chua, Kaw; Wah Lee, Bee

Source: Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets, Volume 5, Number 4, December 2006 , pp. 261-266(6)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

Allergic asthma, rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis are the most common allergic disorders that are caused by the house dust mite (HDM). Beside pyroglyphid mites, the clinical importance of non-pyroglyphid mites has also been increasingly recognized in the recent years. Blomia tropicalis is the most important and ubiquitous mite species in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Well-standardized and characterized allergens are essential for the diagnosis and therapy of house dust mite allergy as well as for the study of the pathophysiology of allergic disease. With the introduction of molecular biology, a number of house dust mite allergens were obtained by cloning the genes encoding the allergens. To date, seven allergens from Blomia tropicalis have been identified and characterized. Among these, Blo t 5, with unknown function, is the major allergen of Blomia tropicalis, with up to 92% of allergic patients sensitized to it. Native Blo t 5 has been purified and shown to consist of multiple isoforms. With advancing knowledge of these specific allergens, it is anticipated that targeted, effective, diagnostic, efficacious and safe therapeutic modalities would be developed.

Keywords: Dermatophagoides spp; allergenic cross-reactivity; RACE-PCR; House dust mites (HDM); B. tropicalis cDNA library

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152806779010954

Affiliations: 1: Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin Medical School, National University of Singapore, 5, Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074.

Publication date: 2006-12-01

More about this publication?

• Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets aims to cover all the latest and outstanding developments on the medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, genomics and biochemistry of contemporary molecular targets involved in inflammation and allergy e.g. disease specific proteins, receptors, enzymes, genes. Each issue of the journal contains a series of timely in-depth reviews written by leaders in the field covering a range of current topics on drug targets involved in inflammation and allergy. As the discovery, identification, characterization and validation of novel human drug targets for anti-inflammation and allergy drug discovery continues to grow, this journal has become essential reading for all pharmaceutical scientists involved in drug discovery and development.

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