Nonallergic individuals recognize the same T cell epitopes of Bet v 1, the major birch pollen allergen, as atopic patients.

The immune response toward allergens in nonallergic healthy individuals was investigated. To boost immune responses, two injections of birch pollen extract were administered to five nonallergic volunteers. T cell lines (TCL) with specificity for Bet v 1, the major birch pollen allergen, were established and analyzed for epitope specificity using overlapping peptides. Forty-nine T cell clones (TCC) specific for Bet v 1 were isolated from TCLs. Comparison with TCL and TCC established from birch pollen-allergic patients was performed. All TCC revealed the Th phenotype. Epitope specificities of TCL and TCC from nonatopics were identical to those found in allergic individuals. No association between MHC class II molecules and particular epitopes could be observed. In nonallergic as well as in allergic individuals, cytokine production in response to specific stimulation revealed a majority of Th-clones producing IL-4 and IFN-gamma. However, TCC derived from atopic individuals revealed a higher IL-4/IFN-gamma ratio. Immunoblot and ELISA revealed Bet v 1-specific IgG in nonallergic individuals before and after booster injections, but no IgE could be detected. High levels of Bet v 1-specific IgG and IgE could be detected in birch pollen-allergic patients. It can be concluded, that nonatopic and allergic individuals display the same repertoire of T cell specificities. In allergic individuals, the activation of allergen-specific TCC leads to a higher ratio of produced IL-4 vs IFN-gamma, which is responsible for enhanced IgE production.