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Immune memory underlying lifelong peanut allergy

Published on July 31, 2023   23 min

Other Talks in the Series: The Immune System - Key Concepts and Questions

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Hello, my name is Kelly Bruton, I'm a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and today I'll be discussing immune memory underlying lifelong peanut allergies.
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To begin what our food allergies? Food allergies are broadly considered as any adverse reaction to an innocuous food protein. Classically, food allergies are considered to be a type one hypersensitivity reactions, meaning that the effector mechanisms are mediated by IgE or immunoglobulin E. When IgE is produced, it binds to high affinity receptors on mast cells and basophils, essentially coding the cells with allergen-specific IgE and maintaining the cells in a primed or sensitized state ready to rapidly react upon allergen exposure. Upon this allergen exposure, allergen cross-links cell bound IgE molecules, triggering an intracellular signaling cascade and rapid degranulation. Release of these preformed mediators, such as histamine and platelet activating factor, are what ultimately issue the clinical manifestations of an allergic response. These reactions can range in severity from something mild such as urticaria to severe life-threatening anaphylaxis.
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The immune response to a food allergy and can be grouped into three distinct phases. Firstly, allergic sensitization occurs upon an individual's first exposure to an allergen and the mechanisms through which allergic sensitization occur are incompletely defined. Though the product of this process is the generation of IgE specific to the insulting allergen. As previously mentioned, this IgE then coats the surface of mast cells and basophils through the high affinity IgE receptor. The second phase is reactivity. After sensitisation, subsequent allergen exposure cross-link cell bound IgE causing an acute release of vasoactive mediators. The third phase and the area in which today's talk will focus is persistence of this pathogenic response toward allergens. Allergies to food such as egg, and milk are typically outgrown within the first few years of life. In contrast, allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish, and can persist for a lifetime. For this reason, it's been a particular interest to study the immunological mechanisms that facilitate the maintenance of lifelong food allergies.

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Immune memory underlying lifelong peanut allergy

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